Like lots of people, I have trouble imagining distances. When I was little, I measured everything in "Daddys." I knew my Dad was six feet tall, so I just compared everything to him. I suppose I shouldn't admit it, but even now I estimate the size of a room by picturing a whole row of Daddys laying down end to end and multiplying by six. Hey, don't judge me -- it works. Still, the "Papa method" of measurement has its limitations: when I invented this method I had not yet grasped the concept of "area."
A 19-mile long crack in a glacier in Antarctica is expected to calve an iceberg measuring 350 square miles. To compare, Manhattan is about 23 square miles. San Francisco is less than 50 square miles. Cairo, one of the world's most populous cities, is just over 82 square miles. While interesting, these figures still aren't that helpful. Tell you what: go to Google Maps, locate your house and see what is 19 miles away in one direction, then go 19 miles in a perpendicular direction. Draw a square. That is how big this iceberg is expected to be. Yikes!
While you're worrying about that, here are some photos of the
comparatively tiny icebergs we saw on our recent trip to Antarctica.
They really are that color
These were relatively small ones, but they look huge compared to our little Zodiacs
Makes me want to go back. But maybe not when the giant one is calving.
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3 comments:
Fabulous photos, although I thinking that Antarctica has no bad angles. And it looks very cold.
Wow. These are awesome!
So unbelievably jealous that you got to visit Antarctica. It's so close to Australia (comparatively speaking) but so far away!
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