Lögberg-Heimskringla - 06.05.1994, Qupperneq 15

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 6. maí 1994 • 15
7lve Earth Tr&mblGti-..
ByJames Wesneski
It seemed as if God had slowly
raised a finger and commanded
the icy firmament to awake.
Roused from its slumber by his beck,
the dormant colossus known as
Sídujökull glacier in south Iceland
trembled in humble acquiescence and
slowly, reverently began to lurch for-
ward. A huge wave welled up, undu-
lating forth through the body of ice,
the frozen tongue that forms the west-
southwest vanguard of giant
Vatnajökull glacier, pushing its tip
forward in a desperate attempt to
appease the weighty wrath of snows
that have accumulated higher up and
made the ice cap too heavy and steep
for the powers on high to counte-
nance.
Eventually the body of ice will sag
in exhaustion, allowing its subter-
ranean streams and rivers to explode
forth out from under the inconceiv-
ably heavy mass that exerts frenzied
pressure on the tortured waters.
Great curved cracks have formed
at the tip where movement is most
noticeable, as the ice heaves forth over
the uneven ground below. The ensuing
bedlam jolts the glacier and severs it
into huge, towering blocks of ice as
tall and massive as whole apartment
buildings. As the eye descends into the
virgin gulfs they assume forlorn hues
of ancient green and evince streaks of
black sand captured in their frozen
cages centuries ago.
Glaciologists explain the cata-
strophic event in more earthy lan-
guage. Sídujökull glacier, which last
lumbered forward three decades ago,
surprised no one when it rumbled
back to life in the fast lane (compared
to normal glacial movement this one is
moving at the speed of a Carl Lewis)
Carol O'Neill
Branch Manager
Gimli
642-5196
in early January.
The reason? The ice cap redistrib-
utes the snows which pile up on it too
slowly to maintain a healthy centre of
gravity. As a result, the mass of ice
becomes increasingly steeper and top-
heavy at the same time as its leading
edge thins and begins to retreat.
Eventually it loses its equilibrium,
buckles under its own weight and
starts to spread itself out in a forward-
ly direction — the wave motion —■
sliding over tbe ground at a quicker-
than-usual speed in the process.
No one knows exactly why tongue
glaciers spread out too slowly to com-
pensate for accumulated snows, but
scientists postulate that the forward
Karen Rasmussen
Personal Loans Manager
Selkirk
482-3311
movement is due to the glacier floating
on a layer of high-pressure water
formed when its weight destroys the
streams and rivers undemeath it.
An alternate theory speculates that
aquifers in the geological stratum
beneath the glacier stop draining
water away, become waterclogged and
presto! the icy clump lifts and glides
forward.
Under normal circumstances,
Sídujökull glacier moves some 5cm a
day, with this newest development
seeing its wave progress some 20-25
metres per day.
No matter what the truth is, the
spectacle is tmly earth-shaking — and
heavenly to behold.
Carol Chapman
Branch Manager
Lac Du Bonnet
345-2580
GREETINGS
From
Paul Edwards
Leader Of The Liberal Party
In Manitoba
I would like to take this opportunity to
extend best wishes to lcelanders and
Manitobans of lcelandic descent on this,
lceland’s 50th Anniversary of Independence.
Members of the lcelandic community have
contributed greatly to the socio-economic, his-
torical and cultural development in our
province. We thank you for that contribution.
Ég óska öllum íslendingum og afkomen-
dum íslensku innflytjendanna í Manitóba til
hamingju meö 50 ára afmæli lýöveldis á íslan-
di. Afkomendur íslensku innflytjendanna í
Manitóba hafa lagt drjúgan skerf til
þjóðfélags, efnahags, sögu og menningar-
mála fylkisins. Hafið þökk fyrir þaö framlag.
Sincerely
MANITOBA
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
PAÚL EDWARDS
Room 172 Legislative Building
Photie: 945-3712
Courtesy ofNews From Iceland
Bank of Montreal
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