The huge A68a iceberg that broke away from Antarctica in 2017 and moved dangerously close to the island of South Georgia is beginning to fall apart.
New images from the RAF show how fragments of the world’s largest iceberg break away from most of the berg.
The shape of the monster iceberg had resembled a fist clenched with a index finger.
Satellite images earlier this week captured the first evidence that the defect lines on the “finger” of the drifting mass had completely broken.
Pictured, A68d, which is north of the main iceberg and in the background is the risk island of South Georgia
Pictured is the A68d iceberg that exploded earlier this week. It is about the same size as the city of Seville and covers an area of 54 square miles. In the background is the A68a from which it broke
Pictures, smaller debris that came off the A68a as it poured hundreds of square miles of ice this week
The A68e and A68f were discovered using the Sentinel-1A satellite and are the newest bergs recently formed from the A68a since they gave birth to the Larsen C ice shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula in July 2017.
On Tuesday, two new icebergs, called the A68e and A68f, gave birth to the A68a – just days after a large piece (A68d) broke from its northernmost section.
The A68e is the “finger” of the original Berg and measures 33 nautical miles and is approximately 252 square miles, more than five times the size of Manchester.
The “articulation” of the original behemoth, now known as the A68f, has a more square shape and is much smaller at 86 square miles, more than twice the size of Paris.
The A68d is about the same size as the city of Seville and has an area of 54 square miles.
Scientists are monitoring the rest of the massive iceberg which, despite such a large loss of mass, is still 1,000 square miles – about the same size as the whole of Herefordshire – to see if it is in shallow water, which could cause problems for penguins and seals on the island looking for food in the surrounding water.
Tracking the iceberg has revealed that in the last two months it has come closer and closer to South Georgia, experts increasingly concerned about the impact it could have on the island’s unique biodiversity.
Due to the large size of the iceberg and its thickness, it could become stuck in the waters around South Georgia, potentially preventing seals and penguins from hunting in the waters.
In this recent photo provided by the Ministry of Defense, one of the largest recorded icebergs called the A68a floated near the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic.
Deris also brakes on the A68a as it continues to move around the ocean. The main iceberg is still 1,000 square miles in size – about the same size as the whole of Herefordshire.
The US National Ice Center (USNIC) released a statement on Tuesday confirming that the massive iceberg is falling apart, creating new smaller bergs
Satellite images taken this week show that the A68d broke from the northern tip of Mother Berg and remained close to southern Georgia. Tracking the iceberg revealed that in the last two months it has come closer and closer to South Georgia
In the picture, the penguins explore a small piece of ice that came off the A68a iceberg. Penguins and seals in South Georgia could be at risk if the herd gets stuck in the surrounding waters of the island
The US National Ice Center (USNIC) released a statement on Tuesday confirming that the massive iceberg is falling apart, creating new smaller bergers.
Cracks were observed along the southern region of the A68a on Monday, but at that time they had not yet cut the floating sheet of ice.
By Tuesday, the cracks had led to the formation of new icebergs and the removal of the A68a.
Satellite images taken this week show that the A68d broke from the northern tip of Mother Berg and remained close to southern Georgia.
Tracking the iceberg has revealed that in the last two months it has come closer and closer to South Georgia, experts increasingly concerned about the impact it could have on the island’s unique biodiversity.
Due to the large size of the iceberg and its thickness, it could get stuck in the waters around the island, potentially preventing seals and penguins from hunting in the waters.
A careful and continuous analysis of the thickness of the Arctic giant showed that it is becoming thinner and thinner, potentially contributing to the recent fracture.
While it seems to have headed south in the last week, experts are still worried that Berg could get stuck and wreak havoc, and fracturing into several smaller parts means experts now have to track every piece of ice the size of a city.
The division of the three fragments into a few days in a row occurred at the lines of weakness that were evident on the iceberg since 2017, when she gave birth for the first time in the main Antarctic Peninsula.
At this time, it had an average thickness of 760 ft (232m) and the thickest section measured up to 935ft (285m).
It is now generally 32 ft thinner overall, but some sections have shrunk by more than that.
The loss of surface thickness means that the A68a is only a third of its original volume, however it could remain blocked near South Georgia and pose serious problems.
New cracks now appear on the A68a, indicating that it could continue to fragment. Experts were surprised by its longevity and three-year survival after giving birth in the Arctic Peninsula.
Cracks were observed along the southern region of the A68a on Monday, but at that time they had not yet cut the floating sheet of ice. By Tuesday, the cracks had become more pronounced and led to pieces moving away from the A68a. Fresh cracks have now appeared on the iceberg (pictured)