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Antarctica is shaped somewhat like a giant stingray. The main part of the continent, called “Greater Antarctica,” lies within the Antarctic Circle. The Antarctic Peninsula juts out from the main body of the continent like a curved stingray tail; this section is called “Lesser Antarctica.”  This peninsula reaches toward the southern tip of South America.

Like most cruise ships going to Antarctica, the Endeavour departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. Two days out of Ushuaia we saw our first iceberg. It was breakfast time when the captain came on the intercom telling us that there was an iceberg ahead.  We all charged out excitedly along the railings on deck to look at it, our breath all frosty in the gray cold.  Just as quickly as it appeared, it was astern and we all felt a little wistful to see such a marvel shrink away. It was our first iceberg and we didn’t yet know how much ice lay over the horizon. As we sailed on, more icebergs slipped by, on the port and on the starboard sides of the ship. The icebergs were notable at first but then became routine as we got used to seeing them.

By the next morning we were surrounded by ice. This was the most magical part of the trip, a surreal vista of floating ice that seemed to stretch on forever. This type of ice is called fast ice. Fast ice develops when thin pieces of ice with raised edges, called pancake ice, form on the surface of the ocean. Over time, as air temperatures remain low, crystals form and the pancakes eventually freeze together, creating a solid layer several centimeters thick.  Continued cold causes this layer to attach to the shore, thus the name “fast ice.”

Towering glaciers seemed to rise from the deep blue ocean like icy monuments. These glaciers form in the mountains of Antarctica. Snow accumulates on the peaks and becomes compressed by its own weight into solid ice. Glacial ice can last decades, centuries, or even millennia. This solid ice flows down off the mountains right into the ocean. When pieces break off, or “calve,” they become icebergs.