Giant Iceberg Heading for Australian Coast

Dec. 11 – A gigantic iceberg, larger than Hong Kong Island, is drifting north from Antarctica towards Western Australia, scientists have revealed.

The 140 square kilometer, 50 billion ton iceberg, which is 19 kilometers long by 8 kilometers wide and known as B17B, was spotted by Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist Neal Young using satellite images taken by NASA and the European Space Agency. In comparison, Hong Kong Island is 80.5 square kilometers in size.

Young said the iceberg is about 1,700 kilometers south-southwest of the Western Australian coast and moving north with the ocean current and prevailing winds.

“B17B is a very significant one in that it has drifted so far north while still largely intact. It’s one of the biggest sighted at those latitudes, now 48.8 degrees South and 107.5 degrees East,” Young said on the Australian Antarctic Division web site. “As the water warms up the iceberg is slowly breaking up, resulting in hundreds more smaller icebergs in the area.”

B17B broke off from the eastern end of the Ross Ice Shelf nearly 10 years ago.