(MENAFN- Hip Hop-24) Researchers have revealed that a giant iceberg the size of the British capital, London, has broken off from an ice shelf in Antarctica.
The British Antarctic Survey (government) stated on its website that "a huge iceberg (1,550 square kilometers) roughly the size of Greater London broke the 150-meter-thick Brant Ice Shelf."
And she said in a statement, on Tuesday, that the cracks that formed naturally during the past years "crystallized, causing the separation of the new iceberg."
The authority announced that the incident occurred last Sunday.
She explained that the new iceberg originated from the extension of the rift known as "Chasm-1" completely through the ice shelf.
The authority confirmed that its scientists were expecting the accident, noting that the separation "is the second in this region during the past two years."
In the context, the director of the authority, Dame Jean Francis, said in the statement that scientists had measured the ice shelf several times, and the stages of its deformation and movement.
He explained that during their observations, scientists made comparisons between the satellite image of the European Space Agency, NASA and the German satellite "TerraSAR-X".
He continued: "We know what happens even in the Antarctic winter when there are no staff in the place, and it is completely dark for 24 hours and the temperature drops below 50 degrees Celsius below zero."
An expected glaciation
British Glaciologist Dominic Hodgson said the event was "predictable" and "part of the natural behavior of the Brant Ice Shelf, not linked to climate change."
"For now, our scientific and operational teams continue to monitor the ice shelf to ensure its safety," Hodgson added.
According to the statement, the ice structure of the Brant Shelf is "complex", and the Chasm-1 rift began expanding in 2016.
The British Antarctic Survey has set up a research station on the Brant Ice Shelf in Antarctica called Halley, and staff have been deployed since 2017.
Staff work at the station during an Antarctic summer, between November and March.
There are currently 21 employees working at the plant to maintain power supplies and facilities that allow scientific studies to continue remotely throughout the winter.
According to satellite observations, the Chasm-1 fault began to show the first signs of change in 2012, after it had been stable for at least 35 years.
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