World's largest iceberg at risk of breaking away from Antarctica

The largest iceberg ever discovered is only connected to the rest of Antarctica by a 19km long strip of ice that could break away at any time.

A secondary rift at the edge of the Larsen C ice shelf

One of the world's largest icebergs is hanging by a thread. Scientists say a rift at the edge of the Larsen C ice shelf is widening, causing the giant iceberg toonly very loosely connected to the rest of Antarctica, and could be separated at any time,MirrorMay 2 news.

Late last year, a crack in the Larsen C ice shelf suddenly widened by about 17 km, creating conditions for the formation of a new iceberg with an area of ​​more than 4,920 km², about the size of the south Wales coast. Only a 19km long ice strip now connects Larsen C to the iceberg.

The main rift has continued to grow since the beginning of the year, now measuring about 110 miles (178 kilometers) long. Satellite data shows a second branch of the rift is moving toward the iceberg’s edge. When the iceberg breaks off, it will become one of the largest icebergs ever recorded.

Aerial view of a crack on the edge of the Larsen C ice shelf. Photo: NASA.

This is the first significant change in the crack since February this year. While the length of the crack has been stable for the past few months, it is continuously widening at a rate of more than 1 meter per day, reaching nearly 500 meters at its widest point.

When this iceberg breaks away, the Larsen C ice shelf will lose more than 10% of its area, marking a significant change in the terrain of the Antarctic region, scientists warn.

According to VNE