A massive iceberg, larger than New York City, broke off an ice shelf in Antarctica on Friday, according to researchers.
The British iceberg of about 490 square kilometers broke away from the Brunt Ice Shelf, about a decade after scientists began detecting cracks in the ice, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) wrote in a statement. New York City is about 302 square miles.
“Our teams at BAS have been preparing for years for calving an iceberg from Brunt Ice Shelf,” said Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey.
THE LARGEST ICEBERG OF THE WORLD THE SIZE OF DELAWARE CURRENT TO OPEN WATER AND CAN DANGER VESSEL VESSELS
The first indication that the glacier would break down occurred in November when a new gorge – called North Rift – was on its way to another large gorge about 20 miles away. In January, the rupture pushed more than half a mile northward each day, cutting through the 490-foot floating ice shelf.
The iceberg formed after the rift widened on the morning of February 26 has it from the rest of [the] floating ice shelf, “according to the BAS.
The BAS monitors the ice shelf daily using an automated network of high-precision GPS instruments around Halley Research Station, which measures how the ice shelf deforms and moves, Francis said. The teams also use satellite images from ESA, NASA and the German satellite TerraSAR-X.
“Halley Station is located in the interior of all the active gorges, on the part of the ice shelf that connects to the mainland,” Francis said. “Our network of GPS instruments will warn us in advance if the calving of this iceberg causes changes in the ice around our station.”
The 12-person team left Halley Research Station early last month, which is now closed for the Antarctic winter. The station has been safe from the break since it moved inland in 2016 to avoid the tracks of two gorges – named ‘Chasm 1’ and ‘Halloween Crack’.
ICEBERG THE SIZE OF DELAWARE RIDE TO THE ISLAND IN SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
Francis added that the iceberg could move away in the coming weeks or months, or stay on the beach and stay close to the Brunt ice shelf.
“Our job now is to keep a close eye on the situation and assess the possible impact of the current calving on the remaining ice shelf,” said Simon Garrod, director of operations at BAS. “We are constantly reviewing our emergency plans to ensure the safety of our staff, protect our research station and maintain the delivery of the science we undertake in Halley.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Researchers said there was no evidence that climate change played an important role in the event.
“Change in the ice at Halley is a natural process and there is no connection to the calving events seen on Larsen C Ice Ice Shelf,” according to the BAS.