MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Massive rift in Antarctica: could become the largest iceberg since 2000

New images taken on November 10 reveal a crack in the Antarctica ice shelf that is growing in size and depth. Scientists state it will eventually break off.

A massive rift in the Antarctica has been spotted by NASA, but the troubling details about the rift is causing the agency to worry. The ice shelf in Larsen C that is close to breaking off is as big as the size of the state of Delaware.

 New images taken by the space agency taken on November 10 reveal a crack in the Antarctica ice shelf that is growing in size and depth. Scientists state it will eventually cause a huge part of the ice shelf to break off.

In an association with NASA, scientists with the field campaign called Operation IceBridge had already measured the fracture in Larsen C. It is said to be 70 miles long and more than 300 feet wide. In addition, it is approximately a third of a mile in depth.

“The crack completely cuts through the Ice Shelf but it does not go all the way across it - once it does, it will produce an iceberg roughly the size of the state of Delaware,” stated NASA in a press release.

If the ice shelf does break off, it would reportedly be the largest event since the recorded iceberg calving in 2000. The ice shelves breaking into icebergs might not immediately increase sea levels, but it would be enough to add new waters to the ocean before an alarming sea level increase is noted.

Aside from the Larsen C ice shelf, researchers are also focused on a key glacier in West Antarctic. Research reveals that the ice sheet has been breaking from the inside out, which highly suggest that the warming ocean is weakening the coastal ice shelf from underneath. The study from Ohio State University add that if this continues, sea levels would most likely be raised.