[ad_1]
The huge expanse of ice originated from a mega-iceberg that measured more than 370 kilometres long and 40km wide
EERIE NASA photos have captured shots of a mbadive strange coffin-shaped iceberg floating through the pitch-black murky waters off the coast of Antarctica.
The huge white expanse of ice has spent the last 18 years drifting at sea and scientists have revealed the spooky slab is heading towards an ice ‘graveyard’.
NASA
The creepy-shaped block of ice almost perfectly mirrors a coffin, with six points and an elongated body that tapers asymmetrically on each end.
Researchers have been tracking the iceberg’s path since it split off from the Ross Ice Shelf in March 2000.
That mega iceberg measured more than 370 kilometres long and 40km wide, with NASA roughly equating its area to the state of Connecticut.
Scientists have since observed the chunk of ice head north towards warmer waters, in a journey notorious for rapidly melting icebergs of the same size.
The stunning photo of the iceberg, which was captured by an ISS astronaut in late September, is also enshrouded by a layer of murky clouds to further enhance its spooky aura.
But, the strange shape of the ice is entirely a product of natural phenomena over the course of its 18-year life at sea, according to NASA.
NASA/UMBC glaciologist Chris Shuman says, “This fracturing is akin to “cleaving” a mineral crystal with a sharp tap of hammer.”
‘The coffin shape is an accident of time and space, given the approximately 18.5-year voyage of B-15T.
“We can only guess at the forces that have acted on this remnant of B-15 along the long way around Antarctica.”
The white coffin, which is actually referred to as B-15T to scientists, had made its way out of the Southern Ocean by the time the breathtaking photo was snapped in September.
Another view was taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite shows it drifting through the South Atlantic between South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands that same day.
NASA science writer Kathryn Hansen said the iceberg had now entered a region of warm waters “where Antarctic icebergs go to die”.
The space agency predicts the area spells doom for the chunk of ice, which will melt rapidly as it heads further north.
Another aspect going against B-15T is the time of year as the Southern Hemisphere winter was coming to a close when the iceberg was spotted.
According to NASA, “the return of abundant sunlight could further warm the water around it.”
“The lack of sea ice in the vicinity of B-15T implies that the water was above the freezing point,” the space agency added.
NASA satellite spots ‘thermal anomaly’ in Atlantic sending conspiracy theorists into meltdown
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
[ad_2]
Source link
