Satellite Sees Iceberg Twice The Size Of New York City Breaking Away From Antarctica

A massive chunk of ice roughly the size of metropolitan London is officially adrift and on its own.

The British Antarctic Survey reported Monday that a hunk of the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica has calved off the larger shelf, creating an iceberg taking up about 1,550 square kilometers, which is also the same as nearly two of New York City, including all five boroughs.

“This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behavior of the Brunt Ice Shelf. It is not linked to climate change,” explained BAS glaciologist Dominic Hodgson.

Satellite imagery showed what scientists described as a “clear break” away from the shelf that measures 150 meters thick.

A huge crack in the shelf known as Chasm-1 has been developing and extending for years now before finally working its way all the way across a triangular corner of the shelf, setting it free in the Weddell Sea.

The break happened Sunday during a spring tide, according to the researchers.

The survey’s Halley Research Station is located on the Brunt. After Chasm-1 began to widen in 2016, the station was relocated 23 kilometers (14 miles) inland as a precaution.