Antarctica Iceberg Could Be as Large as Delaware

An Antarctica iceberg is poised to break off the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctica Peninsula, producing one of the biggest iceberg’s to ever be recorded.

This vast iceberg could end up being the size of Delaware, according to Reuters.

A 50-mile-long rift growing across the Larsen C ice shelf grew 11 miles last month, and scientists predict it only has about 12 miles to go before it is expected to snap, Reuters noted.

According to CNN, once the split occurs, it’s expected to produce an iceberg larger than 1,900 square miles, which is the estimated size of the state of Delaware.

In August, scientists reported that a crack in Larsen C grew 13.7 miles in just six months.

“When it calves, the Larsen C ice shelf will lose more than 10 percent of its area to leave the ice front at its most retreated position ever recorded; this event will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula,” lead researcher Professor Adrian Luckman said in a statement posted to the website of Project Midas, a U.K.-based Antarctic research project.
http://www.projectmidas.org/blog/larsen-c-ice-shelf-poised-to-calve/

“I think in terms of the impact that the iceberg has on the ocean, it’s a very spectacular event but it’s not going to be a huge thing in itself – the iceberg is big but the oceans are a lot bigger,” O’Leary said.

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