In Photos: Antarctica's Larsen C Ice Shelf Through Time
Growing crack
The main Larsen C rift extended a whopping 109 miles (175 km) as of March 3, 2017. The ice shelf, and rift, are shown on March 8, 2017, in images snapped by instruments aboard the Landsat-8 satellite.
Speeding up
Now, researchers with the U.K.-based Project MIDAS have observed that the seaward side of the rift on the Larsen C ice shelf has tripled in speed; it is flowing 33 feet (10 m) per day as of June 24 through June 27.
The main rift
A satellite image showing the giant (and growing) crack in the Larsen C ice shelf on April 6, 2017.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Jeanna served as editor-in-chief of Live Science. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Jeanna has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland, and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.