
![]()

![]()
Antarctica cruise
Deception Island
Dry Valleys
Iceberg Calving
Jagged Mountain Peaks
Lemaire & Neumayer Channels
Paradise Harbor
Penguin Colonies
Polar Icecap
Ross Ice Shelf
South Pole
Antarctica Wonder Guide - Home page
Home page (Top 10 cruise
experiences)
Zodiac landings
Onboard enrichment
Dining & entertainment
Other onboard
activities
Cabin photos & tips
Deck plans
Itineraries
Costs
More tips & insights
Photo Gallery
When to go
Who should go - and not
go
Small versus big ship
What-to-pack checklist
How to identify
penguins
Antarctica history in
brief
Interesting facts &
tidbits
Glossary
Antarctica cruise -
A top 100 wonder
More Antarctica
cruise pointers
Site map
About me and my credentials
About my website
Reader testimonials
Email me your opinion


Polar icecap

The pristine icecap crowns 98% of the continent, an area greater than that of the USA. (Note: My map pinpoints just one tiny part of the total icecap).
Its maximum thickness is approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles).
About two-thirds of the world's fresh water (in frozen form) is stored in the icecap. And that ice accounts for 90% of the amount on earth.
It forever glacially creeps northward from the continent's interior to the sea. The movement is caused by the incremental weight of new snow and the effect of gravity, which press the mass outward, like a spreading pancake on a griddle until it reaches the coast.
It takes a molecule in a snowflake that lands on the South Pole at least 50,000 years to reach the ocean.
Antarctica's icecap blankets vast plateaus and high mountain ranges. Of the latter, one sees only their protruding peaks, which means that the mountains are significantly taller than the eye suggests.
For more tips, click
![]()


Top 10 Wonders of Antarctica
Antarctica cruise
Deception Island
Dry Valleys
Iceberg Calving
Jagged Mountain Peaks
Lemaire & Neumayer Channels
Paradise Harbor
Penguin Colonies
Polar Icecap
Ross Ice Shelf

![]()
![]()

sponsored ad

Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides
Click links for tips & insights
WONDERS OF ... | WONDERS OF ... | CRUISE GUIDES | SAFARI GUIDES | WORLD'S TOP WONDERS |
| ||||
| OTHER TIPS & INSIGHTS | ||||
|
| |||
SPECIAL TOPICS | MORE | |||
| ||||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
|
| ||
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|