The Size of Las Vegas: Iceberg Breaks Off from the Antarctic Continent
Maps created by the GPS system have revealed the detachment of a massive iceberg, the size of the American city of Las Vegas, from the Antarctic ice shelf.
This iceberg, measuring 235 miles in length, separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf, which is 500 feet thick, according to “Newsweek” magazine.
The “British Antarctic Survey” stated that the break occurred in the early hours of Monday, following the sudden appearance of a crack in the ice shelf a few weeks ago.
This is the third major iceberg detachment in this area over the past four years, and it happened about a decade after scientists from the organization first discovered the formation of large cracks in the ice.
Many scientists believe that rising sea and air temperatures, caused by climate change, as well as surface melting, contribute to the increased loss of ice, and that these factors aid in the formation of icebergs.
However, Oliver Marsh, a British glaciologist from the organization, who has spent four seasons working on the Brunt Ice Shelf, said it does not seem that any of these factors caused this collapse.
In an interview with the magazine, he said, “The formation of these large icebergs is usually not an indicator of climate change,” noting that “this iceberg’s formation was anticipated.”
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He explained that “the iceberg broke off due to the movement of the ice shelf towards a fixed point on the seabed, known as the McDonald Ice Rumples.”
He added, “Over time, this created bending stress in the ice north of the Halloween Crack, which increased until it exceeded the critical value. This process is not unusual.”
