An iceberg twice the size of New York City set to break away from Antarctica

Cracks across Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf are due to release an iceberg that is about twice the size of New York City, which has a land area of 784 square kilometres, Nasa said.
 
The breakaway may pose uncertainty for scientific infrastructure on the Burnt Ice Shelf that was created 64 years ago, and for the presence of humans.

The crack causing the break away initially appeared in October 2016, growing eastwards. Nasa said their concern is a visible rift that was previously stable for 35 years as the crack moves northward at four kilometres per year.

When the rift cuts all the way across, about 1700 km² of ice will likely be lost from the shelf and scientists are watching to see if the loss of ice will cause the shelf to be unstable.