Iceberg roughly size of London breaks off in Antarctica

An iceberg nearly the size of Greater London has broken off the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

Scientists first discovered significant cracks in the ice shelf a decade ago, but in the last two years, there have been two major breaks. The BAS Halley Research Station is located on the Brunt Ice Shelf and glaciologists say the research station is safe, CNN reports citing the British Antarctic Survey.

The iceberg is around 600 square miles, or 1,550 square kilometres. The researchers say this event was expected and not a result of climate change.

“This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behavior of the Brunt Ice Shelf. It is not linked to climate change. Our science and operational teams continue to monitor the ice shelf in real-time to ensure it is safe, and to maintain the delivery of the science we undertake at Halley,” Professor Dominic Hodgson a BAS glaciologist said in a news release.

The calving comes amid record-low sea ice extent in Antarctica, where it is summer.