Witnessing a Calving Glacier

  Every week I get to visit a tidewater glacier here in Alaska. It can be very exciting because tidewater glaciers, those that flow all the way down into the ocean, have a tendency to calve. This is where big, sometimes huge chunks of the glacier fracture off and crash down into the ocean. The noise created by both the fracturing and hitting the water echo throughout the fjord in what locals call the 'white thunder.'
 
   A famous quote up here is 'they speak to you in creaks and groans, and thunderous roars.'

  We were lucky enough to see some calving at Dawes glacier during our last two visits. It is pretty southern as far as tidewater glaciers go, and very active. The long winding ride up to the glacier through Endicott Arm has been chocked full of ice bergs, hinting at the activity of the face of the glacier. The 200 foot tall face of the glacier never ceases to amaze and confound me that something like it could actually exist. The fact that it is all created by snowflakes boggles the mind even more. Check out the video below for a wild show of a huge calving glacier!!