Antarctica Giant Iceberg Broke Off

A giant chunk of ice more than 20 times bigger than Manhattan split off in a process tagged as calving, according to a statement from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

The primary crack started to form on the shelf in November of last year and continued to cultivate until the iceberg finally broke off on Friday, February 26, reports said.

"Our teams at BAS have been prepared for the calving of an iceberg from Brunt Ice Shelf for years," Dame Jane Francis, the BAS director, said in a statement.

"Over [the] coming weeks or months, the iceberg may move away; or it could run aground and remain close to Brunt Ice Shelf." BAS director added.

According to the BAS, scientists have been expecting a large iceberg to break away for years because of vast cracks that have formed in the 150-meter-thick floating ice shelf.

The North Rift crack grew toward the northeast at a rate of about 0.6 miles (1 km) per day in January, but on the morning of February 26, the crack widened a couple of hundred meters in just hours. According to the statement, this ice split happened due to a natural process, and there's no evidence that climate change played a role. The Brunt Ice Shelf, a 492-foot-thick (150 meters) slab of ice, flows west at 1.2 miles (2 km) per year and routinely calves icebergs.

Scientists moved their research station called Halley Research Station farther inland in 2016 as a precaution. Workers execute only their jobs during the Antarctic summer since 2017 because evacuations would be complicated during the night frost.

"This is a dynamic situation. Four years ago, we moved Halley Research Station inland to ensure that it would not be carried away when an iceberg eventually formed. That was a wise decision," BAS Director of Operations Simon Garrod said in the statement. "Our job now is to keep a close eye on the situation and assess any potential impact of the present calving on the remaining ice shelf."