Image of the Week - Pine Island Glacier

Another large iceberg recently broke off Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica. According to the U.S. National Ice Center, this iceberg, named B-46, has an area of 87 square miles. That’s slightly larger than the iceberg that previously separated from the glacier in September 2017.



B-46 broke away on October 29, 2018, just a month after a rift first appeared. The October 1 image acquired by Landsat 8 shows the beginning of the rift.



Iceberg calving is natural part of glacial change, but these large breaks are happening more frequently on Pine Island Glacier. Since 2013, the glacier has calved four large icebergs. 



A Landsat 1 image from 1973 compared to 2018 shows the glacier’s retreat over 45 years.



Each week, the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center highlights a new satellite image(s) featuring striking changes to the Earth's surface. Our images come from locations around the world.