Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40321674

One of the biggest icebergs ever recorded has just broken away from
Antarctica.

The giant block is estimated to cover an area of roughly 6,000 sq km;
that's about a quarter the size of Wales.

A US satellite observed the berg on Wednesday while passing over a
region known as the Larsen C Ice Shelf.

Scientists were expecting it. They'd been following the development of a
large crack in Larsen's ice for more than a decade.

The rift's propagation had accelerated since 2014, making an imminent
calving ever more likely.

The more than 200m-thick tabular berg will not move very far, very fast
in the short term. But it will need to be monitored. Currents and winds
might eventually push it north of the Antarctic where it could become a
hazard to shipping.

An infrared sensor on the American space agency's Aqua satellite spied
clear water in the rift between the shelf and the berg on Wednesday. The
water is warmer relative to the surrounding ice and air - both of which
are sub-zero.

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