How do icebergs transport rocks and sediment far from their source regions?

Icebergs transport rocks and sediment far from their source regions through a process involving the incorporation of debris into the ice, which is then released as the iceberg melts at sea.1

The mechanisms for this transport include:

• Debris Incorporation: As glaciers move, they act like sandpaper, picking up rock debris of varying sizes—from fine particles to large boulders—from the glacier bed. Arctic icebergs often acquire a top burden of dirt from the eroded sides of the valleys through which the parent glacier flowed, while both Arctic and Antarctic icebergs carry stones and dirt on their undersides.21
• Transport and Deposition: Once these icebergs break away (calve) from glaciers or ice shelves, they drift into the ocean, carrying this material thousands of kilometres from the source area. As the icebergs melt, the trapped stones and sediment are deposited onto the seafloor.13
• Ice-Rafted Debris (IRD): The resulting deposits, known as ice-rafted debris, serve as a geological record. By analyzing the type of rock found in these deposits, scientists can identify the original source region of the transporting iceberg.1