--- title: NASA: Iceberg Breaks From Antarctica and Heads Out into the Ocean description: Scientists say an iceberg six times the size of Manhattan is on the loose canonical: https://time.com/76929/antarctic-iceberg-pine-island-glacier/ author: David Stout article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-25T09:37:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T07:29:58.924Z article:section: Science og:title: NASA: Iceberg Breaks From Antarctica and Heads Out into the Ocean og:description: Scientists say an iceberg six times the size of Manhattan is on the loose og:url: https://time.com/76929/antarctic-iceberg-pine-island-glacier/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1f0c51a7bfd62f0/69868c773bc9991f701a321d/antarctica-iceberg_edited.jpg?branch=production&width=1036&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1036 og:image:height: 583 og:image:alt: Antarctica Iceberg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NASA: Iceberg Breaks From Antarctica and Heads Out into the Ocean twitter:description: Scientists say an iceberg six times the size of Manhattan is on the loose twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1f0c51a7bfd62f0/69868c773bc9991f701a321d/antarctica-iceberg_edited.jpg?branch=production&width=1036&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # An Iceberg Six Times the Size of Manhattan Is On the Loose by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Apr 25, 2014 9:37 AM UTC  This combination of Dec. 10, 2013, left, and March 11, 2014 photos provided by NASA shows a large iceberg separating from the Pine Island Glacier and traveling across Pine Island Bay in Antarctica. This combination of Dec. 10, 2013, left, and March 11, 2014 photos provided by NASA shows a large iceberg separating from the Pine Island Glacier and traveling across Pine Island Bay in Antarctica.AP by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Apr 25, 2014 9:37 AM UTC A massive iceberg that broke off from Antarctica’s Pine Island glacier last November is [drifting out into the open ocean](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83519), according to NASA scientists. The ice massif, known as B31, will be swept up in the currents of the Southern Ocean soon; however, tracking the iceberg will be difficult as winter descends on Antarctic leaving little daylight for scientists to work with. According to NASA scientists, iceberg calving is routine, but the breaking off of B31 has raised new questions about the speed at which the process occurs. “Iceberg calving is a very normal process,” said NASA’s Kelly Brunt, a glaciologist at Goddard Space Flight Center. “However, the detachment rift, or crack, that created this iceberg was well upstream of the 30-year average calving front of Pine Island Glacier (PIG), so this a region that warrants monitoring.” Scientists are reportedly much more interested in the fate of the Pine Island glacier, which is “thinning and draining rapidly” and could lead to a significant increase in sea levels if the process continues. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/76929/antarctic-iceberg-pine-island-glacier/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/76929/antarctic-iceberg-pine-island-glacier/"},"headline":"An Iceberg Six Times the Size of Manhattan Is On the Loose","datePublished":"2014-04-25T09:37:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:29:58.924Z","description":"Heading for the Southern Ocean? 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