Icebergs are typically white but various factors can occasionally cause them to turn a different color – green, brown, black, or blue are possible. Factors that distort the iceberg color include a lower density of air within the ice (which allows less sunlight to reflect off the surface or pass through the iceberg with a scattered pattern of light) or a higher density of rock embedded within the ice. Seldom are colored icebergs the result of man-made pollution or contaminants. Many times a colored iceberg has rolled over, revealing the discolored basal ice that once lay underneath the surface. Even striped icebergs are possible and can be created when a crevice fills quickly with water that freezes before ice bubbles are formed inside. Although rarely seen in nature, here are some pictures of famously colored icebergs.
