Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World

NASA discovers HUGE perfectly rectangular iceberg floating in Antarctica

A gigantic and perfectly rectangular iceberg has been spotted in the Antarctic by NASA scientists.

The enormous block of ice, known as a Tabular berg, is thought to be a mile in length, experts said.

It was found off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, near the Larsen C ice shelf, by scientists flying over the region.

The iceberg’s sharp angles and flat surface suggest it was recently calved from the ice shelf, NASA Ice researchers said.

(@NASA_ICE/NASA)

And it was not the only iceberg formed as a geometric shape the scientists spotted on their flight over the Atlantic last week.

Triangular iceberg surrounded by different types of sea ice, off the Larsen ice shelf in the Weddell Sea (@NASA_ICE/NASA)

NASA experts shared images online of a triangular berg found nearby in open water in the Weddell Sea on the same trip.

Speaking to Live Science, NASA ice scientist Kelly Brunt explained how such perfectly shaped bergs form.

She said Tabular icebergs are made through a process “a bit like a fingernail growing too long and cracking off at the end”.

They are often rectangular and geometric as a result, she continued.

Scientists took the image as part of its operation IceBridge, in order to help understand how ice has changed in recent years.

They intend to study the calving process of icebergs as a way of measuring melting due to global warning.

Ice shelves are far more susceptible to calve off and melt as the planet continues to warm.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.