Scientists with the British Antarctica Survey (BAS) say a huge iceberg — larger than New York City — has broken off from the northwestern Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica, almost 10 years after scientists discovered the first cracks.
In a statement on its website, the BAS says the iceberg broke away Friday and that it covers about 1,270 square kilometers. The BAS says the mass is about 150 meters thick.
The agency said Halley Research Station, also situated on Brunt Ice Shelf, is not expected to be impacted as it is located on an area of the ice shelf still connected to the continent. The BAS took the precaution of moving the station in 2016 to avoid the paths of cracks in the ice its staff had been observing.
In the statement, the BAS director, Professor Dame Jane Francis, said agency scientists were expecting the break, known as calving, to happen, after daily monitoring of the area with GPS instruments and satellite imagery.
Francis said the iceberg is expected to either move away or run aground not far from the Brunt Ice Self.
