Rights: University of Waikato Published 21 June 2007, Updated 16 March 2018 Size: 170 KB Referencing Hub media

The tip of an iceberg which is visible above the waterline is usually only about 1/7 or 1/8 of the mass of an iceberg.

Seawater is slightly denser than ice and this means that the iceberg floats with most of its mass below the surface. In comparison a cork, which has a density of about 20% that of water, floats close to the water surface. Ice has about 90% of the density of water but the density of seawater is also influenced by the temperature and salinity.

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