A giant iceberg measuring 1,550 square kilometers, an area that is equivalent to almost three times the city of Madrid, broke off the northern part of Antarctica this Sunday, reports the British Antarctic Service (BAS, for its acronym in English).
According to the entity, the detachment took place on the Brunt floating ice shelf, base of the BAS Halley research station, which has a thickness of up to 150 meters and moves 2 kilometers per year. The separation originated after the complete rupture of the Chasms-1 rift.
The BAS glaciologists assure that the event is a natural process that has been developing over the last few years and that, currently, the area is not affected. They also point out that the station has been unoccupied for the last six winters due to the “unpredictable glaciological situation.”
“Our glaciologists and operational staff have anticipated this event. Measurements of the ice shelf are made several times a day using an automated network of high-precision GPS instruments that surround the station,” says BAS director Dame Jane Francis, stating that the instruments measure how it deforms and moves. the floating platform.
“It is not related to climate change. Our team of scientists and operatives continue to monitor the ice shelf in real time to ensure its safety and to maintain the scientific activity we carry out at Halley,” says Dominic Hodgson, BAS glaciologist, explaining that the breakup was expected and is a natural behavior of the Brunt ice shelf.
