The huge A68a iceberg that split off from Antarctica in 2017 and recently drifted dangerously close to the island of South Georgia is starting to disintegrate.
New footage from the RAF shows fragments of the once largest iceberg in the world breaking away from most of the mountain.
The shape of the monster iceberg had been compared to a clenched fist with a pointing finger.
Satellite images earlier this week captured the first evidence that the fault lines on the ‘finger’ of the floating mass had been completely torn.
Pictured, A68d which lies north of the main iceberg and in the background the risk island of South Georgia
In the photo, the A68d iceberg that broke off earlier this week is in the foreground. It is roughly the size of the city of Seville and covers an area of 54 square miles. In the background is A68a where it broke out
Pictured, smaller debris broken off the A68a as it shed hundreds of square miles of ice this week
A68e and A68f were discovered using the Sentinel-1A satellite and are A68a’s newest newly formed mountains since it calved from the Antarctic Peninsula’s Larsen C Ice Shelf in July 2017
On Tuesday, two new icebergs, named A68e and A68f, calved from A68a – just days after a major stretch (A68d) broke off the northernmost part.
A68e is the ‘finger’ of the original mountain, measuring 33 nautical miles in length and measuring approximately 252 square miles, more than five times the size of the city of Manchester.
The ‘knuckle’ of the original colossus, now known as A68f, is squarer in shape and is much smaller at 86 square miles, more than twice the size of Paris.
A68d is roughly the size of the city of Seville and covers an area of 54 square miles.
Scientists are watching the rest of the massive iceberg, which despite losing so much mass is still 1,000 square miles – about the same size as the entire county of Herefordshire – to see if it borders in shallow water, which could cause problems for penguins and seals on the island looking for food in the surrounding water.
Tracking the iceberg has shown that the iceberg has moved closer and closer to South Georgia over the past two months, with growing concerns from experts about its potential impact on the island’s unique biodiversity.
Due to the iceberg’s sheer size and thickness, it can become trapped in the waters around South Georgia Island, which may prevent seals and penguins from hunting in the waters
In this recent Defense Department photo, one of the largest recorded icebergs, the A68a, floats near South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Deris also slows down from A68a while floating through the ocean. The main iceberg is still 1,000 square miles in size – about the same size as the entire county of Herefordshire
The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) released a statement on Tuesday confirming that the massive iceberg is falling apart creating new smaller mountains
Satellite images taken this week show that the A68d broke off from the northern tip of Mother Mountain and stayed close to South Georgia Island. Tracking the iceberg has revealed he’s been getting closer and closer to South Georgia in the past two months
In the photo, penguins are exploring a small patch of ice that has separated from the A68a iceberg. Penguins and seals on South Georgia could be endangered if the mountain becomes trapped in the island’s surrounding waters
The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) released a statement on Tuesday confirming that the massive iceberg is falling apart, creating new smaller mountains.
Cracks were seen along the southern region of A68a on Monday, but they had not yet cut a floating ice layer.
On Tuesday, the fissures had caused new icebergs to form and drift away from the A68a.
Satellite images taken this week reveal that the A68d broke off from the northern tip of Mother Mountain and stayed close to South Georgia Island.
Tracking the iceberg has shown that the iceberg has moved closer and closer to South Georgia in the past two months, with experts increasingly concerned about the impact it could have on the island’s unique biodiversity.
Due to the iceberg’s sheer size and thickness, it can become trapped in the waters around the island, potentially preventing seals and penguins from hunting in the waters.
Careful ongoing analysis of the polar giant’s thickness has shown that it is thinning, possibly contributing to the recent fracture.
While the mountain appears to have drifted south again in the past week, experts are still concerned that the mountain could become trapped and cause major damage, and by breaking into several smaller sections, experts are now forced to break each piece. following ice the size of a city.
The split of the three fragments within days of each other occurred at weak points evident on the iceberg since 2017, when the iceberg first calved from the main Antarctic peninsula.
At the time, it had an average thickness of 760 feet (232 m) and its thickest part measured up to 935 feet (285 m).
It is now generally about 32 feet thinner, but some sections have been reduced by more than this.
The loss of thickness with area means that the A68a is barely a third of its original size. Ut can still get stuck near South Georgia and cause serious trouble.
New cracks are now appearing on A68a, indicating that it could continue to fragment. Experts were surprised by the longevity and three-year survival after calving from the Arctic Peninsula
On Monday cracks were seen along the southern region of the A68a, but they had not yet cut a floating ice layer. On Tuesday, the rifts became more pronounced and resulted in chunks moving away from A68a. New cracks have now appeared on the iceberg (photo)