NASA photographs second rectangular iceberg

NASA photographs second rectangular iceberg

Posted on Thursday, 25 October, 2018

It turns out that tabular icebergs are not that uncommon. Image Credit: NASA / Jeremy Harbeck
Another intriguingly geometric iceberg has been spotted in Antarctica during an Operation IceBridge aerial survey.
The iceberg, just like the last one, was captured on camera off the Larsen C ice shelf as part of an ongoing project aimed at monitoring changes in the polar ice caps.

While this one is not quite as geometrically precise as the one that went viral last week, it does demonstrate that this particular phenomenon is actually quite common.

Icebergs of this type, which are known as tabular icebergs, typically split from the edges of ice sheets through a process that is not dissimilar to a fingernail growing too long and breaking off at the end.

A photograph of the previous iceberg can be viewed - here.

"I thought it was pretty interesting; I often see icebergs with relatively straight edges, but I've not really seen one before with two corners at such right angles like this one had," said IceBridge senior support scientist Jeremy Harbeck who photographed both icebergs.

Aerial footage taken during his recent flyover of the area can be viewed below.

NASA ICE‏Verified account @NASA_ICE  Oct 17


From yesterday's #IceBridge flight: A tabular iceberg can be seen on the right, floating among sea ice just off of the Larsen C ice shelf. The iceberg's sharp angles and flat surface indicate that it probably recently calved from the ice shelf.

854 replies     10,804 retweets     23,476 likes  









NASA ICE‏Verified account @NASA_ICE




Wow, it’s been amazing to see what a splash our photo of a tabular Antarctic iceberg, by #IceBridge’s Jeremy Harbeck, has made. Fly toward the berg with @NASAArmstrong's DC-8 forward camera. More: https://go.nasa.gov/2yuzwiq 



1:50 PM - 23 Oct 2018 


Thanks to: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com