Huge iceberg breaks away from the mainland in Antarctica

Around 1550 square kilometers

Huge iceberg breaks away from the mainland in Antarctica

A huge iceberg has detached itself from the mainland in Antarctica. As the researchers from the British Antarctic Survey reported on Monday, the approximately 1550 square kilometer iceberg named Chasm-1 broke off on Sunday evening during a flood.

Two years ago, a giant iceberg of a similar size broke off in the same region, the Brunt Ice Shelf. The British research station Halley VI is located on the ice shelf, from which glaciologists have been observing the expansion of huge cracks in the ice for years.

Brocken measures around 1550 square kilometers

The formation of icebergs is a natural process, which, however, can be accelerated considerably by global warming. Since the 19th century, the Earth’s surface temperature has warmed an average of one degree – enough to cause droughts, heat waves and tropical storms.