Eli5. Salt melts ice. Glaciers sit in an ocean of salt. Glaciers don’t melt.

Question

Eli5. Salt melts ice. Glaciers sit in an ocean of salt. Glaciers don’t melt.

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

I think you mean icebergs?

Glaciers are rivers of ice. They don’t touch salt water as a general rule, except where the river meets the sea.

Icebergs are giant hunks of ice floating in the ocean.

Salt lowers the freezing point of water, which is why it can cause ice to melt. But it does not remove the freezing point altogether. At about 28.4F, saltwater will freeze. That is the point at which salt will no longer melt ice, and that is the temperature at which icebergs can survive in saltwater.