Scientists are monitoring one of the largest icebergs now in existence, which broke off an Antarctic glacier earlier this year and is now heading into the open ocean.
The iceberg, called B31, is bigger than the island of Guam, about twice the size of Atlanta and roughly six times the size of Manhattan, according to news reports.
The ice island, known as iceberg B31, covers 255 square miles and could be almost a third of a mile thick, scientists say in a report from NASA’s Earth Observatory.
The iceberg calved from Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier last November, according to NASA. The crack that produced it was first spotted in 2011. Since then, the iceberg has drifted into the Amundsen Sea.
The iceberg’s present location is not in an area heavily navigated by ships, according to marinelink.com.
Scientists are especially interested in this iceberg not only because of its size, but also because it originated in an unexpected location, NASA glaciologist Kelly Brunt told the publication.
“It’s like a large sheet cake floating through the Southern Ocean,” Brunt said.
