A huge crack in the Antarctic ice shelf — poised to produce one of the largest icebergs at the South Pole — is growing faster than ever, with the rift tip now within 5 km of breaking all the way through, scientists say.

The deep crack in the Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf continues to cut across the ice. While the iceberg remains attached to the ice shelf, its outer end is moving at the highest speed ever recorded on this ice shelf.

It has tripled in speed to more than 10 m per day between June 24 and 27, according to scientists of Project MIDAS, a UK-based Antarctic research project.

When it eventually gives way, one of the largest icebergs on record will be set adrift.

Monitored by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar pair, the crack in the ice is now around 200 km long, leaving just 5 km between the end of the fissure and the ocean.

Icebergs calve from Antarctica all the time, but because this one is particularly large, its path across the ocean needs to be monitored as it could pose a hazard to maritime traffic.

An iceberg, similar in size, drifted around the Brunt ice shelf in December 2015, causing alarm for those stationed at the Halley research base.

Related Topics