A huge iceberg, almost the size of Greater London, has broken off the 150m thick Brunt Ice Shelf in the Antarctic after cracks extended across the entire ice shelf.
![](https://tippinsights.com/content/images/2023/01/GN43845C_EN.jpg)
The crack known as Chasm-1 had until 2012 been dormant for about 35 years, but over the last decade developed naturally as the ice shelf flowed towards the sea at a rate of about 2km per year.
It is not believed to be due to climate change, as atmospheric temperatures above the Brunt Ice Shelf are consistently sub-zero, and no warmer ocean water penetrates into the cavity under the shelf. The iceberg calved when Chasm-1 extended completely through the 150-metre thick ice shelf.