What Does Ice Cracking Sound Like in Antarctica?
The ice beneath our feet could crack and groan without warning! Press play below to hear what it sounded like.
Antarctica's ice is always moving, even though it looks completely still. As it shifts and stretches, it can crack loudly, sending deep booming and creaking sounds echoing across the frozen land. Tom Crean and his crewmates learned to listen carefully to these sounds as they travelled.
The sound of cracking ice could be surprising — sometimes a short, sharp snap, and other times a long, low rumble that rolled on for several seconds, almost like distant thunder.
Tom Crean - The Ice Floe Jumper!
While three men including Tom, slept in their tent one night, a loud cracking sound woke them up. Outside of the tent the chunk of ice they were on, had broken away completely and they were floating out to sea.Tom wasted no time jumping from the floating chunks to reach safety on shore. He had to act fast because three ponies and two sledges were also stuck on the ice floe. He climbed the ice cliffs and found two other friends who came back with Tom and rescued the two stranded men and the three ponies.
Discover More about Tom
Did you know Tom sailed all the way to Antarctica three times? On his journeys he saw and heard even more amazing things than what you've just explored here. You can read all about his adventures in Tom the Mighty Explorer.
Discover the Book →A beautifully illustrated introduction to polar exploration for children aged 6–10 — a lovely companion to KS1/KS2 topics on famous explorers and habitats.
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