Decades-long growing rift in Brunt Ice Shelf finally breaks, creating new iceberg, Antarctica

Decades-long growing rift in Brunt Ice Shelf finally breaks, creating new iceberg, Antarctica

On January 22, 2023, a massive rift on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica finally gave way, resulting in the formation of a new iceberg measuring 1 550 km2 (~600 mi2). The U.S. National Ice Center has named it Iceberg A-81. The rift, spanning most of the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica, appeared ready to spawn an iceberg in 2019, posing an uncertain future for scientific infrastructure and a human presence on the shelf that was first established in 1955 by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

South Pole registers coldest winter on record

South Pole registers coldest winter on record

A weather station at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station registered record cold winter temperatures this season (April – September), averaging at -61.1 °C (-77.9 °F) and breaking the previous record set in 1976 at -60.6 °C (-77 °F). Weather records…

Large meteoritic event over Antarctica 430 000 years ago

Large meteoritic event over Antarctica 430 000 years ago

An international team of scientists has found new evidence that a low-altitude meteoritic event occurred over Antarctica 430 000 years ago. Cosmic particles recovered on the summit of Walnumfjellet indicate that an unusual touchdown event reached the continent's…

Shallow M7.1 earthquake hits South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Shallow M7.1 earthquake hits South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

An intense earthquake swarm continues in Bransfield Strait, Antarctica, with a very strong and shallow earthquake registered by CSN Chile and EMSC as M7.1 at 23:36 UTC on January 23, 2021. USGS is reporting it as M6.9 at a depth of 9.6 km (6 miles). The epicenter…

Antarctica hit by 30 000 earthquakes in 3 months

Antarctica hit by 30 000 earthquakes in 3 months

More than 30 000 earthquakes have been registered in the Bransfield Strait, an ocean channel between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, since the end of August 2020, according to the University of Chile. The strait is now expanding 15 cm (6…

Earthquake swarm with magnitudes up to 6.0 near King George Island, Antarctica

Earthquake swarm with magnitudes up to 6.0 near King George Island, Antarctica

Dozens of earthquakes have been registered just south of the King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica over the past 30 days, with magnitudes ranging from 4.7 to 6.0. Human habitation of King George Island is limited to research stations. Over the past…

Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica at 23:49 UTC on November 6, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 5.8 km (3.6 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 33 km (20 miles). The epicenter…