A massive fissure was spotted on satellite images running south to north through iceberg A53A on March 1.
Just three days later, new satellite images revealed that the berg had split into two, with each piece measuring about 19 miles in length. Hundreds of tiny chunks of ice were later observed as A53A broke up further.
In the January 15 image to the right, the iceberg remained intact, although isolated pale blue melt ponds appear on the surface. Such ponds on the surface of an iceberg suggest it may be approaching disintegration.
Melt ponds contribute to disintegration because water, being denser than ice, can fill pre-existing cracks on the iceberg’s surface and eventually carve all the way through the ice.
The March 15 image shows the iceberg after it broke in two near South Georgia Island in the Southern Atlantic. This image covers a wider area as the iceberg pieces had drifted apart.
