A large iceberg touched the Antarctic coast in the area where the British research base “Haley” is located. This was announced by the BBC, which cites the British Antarctic Institute, British Antarctic Service, as responsible for the base.
The glacier is called A74 and extends over an area of 1,270 square kilometres, slightly less than the area occupied by the municipality of Rome. It broke off the ice shelf in Brent last February and has been drifting ever since, but in recent days very strong winds have pushed it toward the coast.
British Antarctic Survey experts told the BBC that the impact was mild, and there were no problems with the base. They added that if the collision was violent, it would have caused an equally large iceberg to separate. The researchers told the BBC that for months, the glacier’s movements had been constantly controlled from the base, mainly due to very strong winds.
The iceberg’s separation from the Planet platform was expected in September 2019 due to the fracture, which continued to expand until it broke.
Due to its extension, the A74 ranks 9th in the ranking of large icebergs so far separated from Antarctic platforms. The record is the B-15 iceberg, which spans 11,000 square kilometers and broke off the Ross platform in March 2000.
Reproduction is reserved © Copyright ANSA
“Reader. Travel maven. Student. Passionate tv junkie. Internet ninja. Twitter advocate. Web nerd. Bacon buff.”
