Brunt Ice Shelf: Big iceberg calves near UK Antarctic base

A big iceberg approaching the size of Greater London has broken away from the Antarctic, close to Britain's Halley research station.

Surface instruments on the Brunt Ice Shelf confirmed the split early on Friday.

There is currently no-one in the base, so there is no risk to human life.

The British Antarctic Survey has been operating Halley in a reduced role since 2017 because of the imminent prospect of a calving.

The berg has been measured to cover 1,270 sq km. Halley is positioned just over 20km from the line of rupture.

BAS has an array of GPS devices on the Brunt. These relay information about ice movements back to the agency's HQ in Cambridge.