A section of ice measuring larger than New York City broke off from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica on Friday, according to a readout from the British Antarctic Survey.
The iceberg measures 492 feet thick and 490 square miles and is located near BAS’s Halley Research Station, though the seasonally-closed facility likely won’t be affected by the break, according to the release.
Director of operations for the British research project, Simon Garrod, described the break as “a dynamic situation.”
“Our job now is to keep a close eye on the situation and assess any potential impact of the present calving on the remaining ice shelf,” Garrod said in the readout.
For the past 10 years, three cracks have been detected near the Brunt Ice Shelf on the western side of Antarctica, including the Halloween Crack and Chasm 1.
A calving incident became clear in November 2020 when a break called the North Rift formed, creating the third major fracture in the continent, leading to a fracture of the Brunt Ice Shelf.
Director of the British Antarctic Survey, Dame Jane Francis, said the fate of the fractured ice slab is undetermined at this time, noting the large iceberg could drift away or “it could run aground and remain close to Brunt Ice Shelf.”
