Columbia Glacier Calving

A dramatic iceberg calving from Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The iceberg has just broken free from under the water and shot to the surface, spinning towards the ice face. The ice cliff here is about 70 m (229.7 ft) tall. Icebergs are calved as stress fractures in the glacier merge, eventually resulting in a piece of ice cracking off and falling into the water. The stress fractures are caused by the glacier flowing over uneven stretches of ground on its way to the water.