[Global Network Reporter Hou Jiaxin] According to a CNN report on the 27th, on February 26 local time, a huge iceberg with an area of 1270 square kilometers broke away from the Antarctic ice shelf.
According to reports, the area of this iceberg is larger than that of New York City.
According to reports, the ice shelf from which the iceberg broke away, the Brunt Ice Shelf, is also the location of the Halley Survey Base of the British Antarctic Survey.
However, CNN mentioned that the research station was closed at the time of the incident, and 12 of their staff had left the research station earlier this month.
According to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), for many years, scientists have expected an iceberg to detach from the Antarctic ice shelf because of huge cracks that have formed in the ice shelf.
CNN mentioned that 10 years ago, glacier scientists first observed huge cracks in the ice shelf; in January 2021, one of the cracks began to expand, advancing to the northeast at a speed of 1 kilometer a day; on the morning of February 26, this The crack expanded hundreds of meters in a few hours and split into a huge iceberg.
"Although most of the breaks that occur on the Antarctic ice shelf are part of their natural process, large iceberg disintegration events, such as the iceberg break on the Brent ice shelf on Friday, are still very rare and exciting." British Glaciology Adrian Luckman, professor of geology at Swansea University, told The Guardian.