Japanese tsunami and the birth of icebergs

Scientists have long speculated that large tsunamis could be linked to the calving of icebergs—where chunks of ice break off of the side of a glacier or ice shelf and float away. The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that happened in March off the coast of Japan finally gave them much more direct evidence of this phenomenon. Fascinating stuff, and a great reminder of how interconnected the world really is.

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Via Jeremy Hsu

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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MORE: Earth • earthquake • Environment • ocean • Science • tsunami

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KBert

I point to earthquakes, and I point to icebergs, that is all.
RJ

To summarize: if the planet jiggles like a fat girl on a trampoline, icebergs can get shaken loose. Join us next week, when we draw a tentative link between baby-shaking in previous decades and current supporters of the Tea Party.

Cynicism aside, that is a pretty cool story about the icebergs. It’s just another way to illustrate the nearly unimaginable force exerted during a tectonic shift.
jphilby

Not much a surprise to anyone who’s grown up in a region with lots of lake ice … used to seeing the effect of waves on ice sheets in the spring.
Pend-O-Matic

Best eathquake graphic ever. usually they use radiating circles- which have, always, infuriated me at their lack of articulation. “here’s where they started… THEN THEY WENT OUT n’ AWAY for’a spell. “
nosehat

Um, what?