The study showed that a unique phenomenon of rapid expansion of a crack in the ice was observed in Antarctica, and this process occurred at an unprecedented speed. It was recorded that the 10.5 km long crack cut the ice sheet at a speed of approximately 35 meters per second, that is, approximately 128.7 km/h.

In 2012, scientists from the University of Washington drew attention to this process of sudden crevasse formation in the Pine Island Glacier, one of the fastest-melting glaciers in Antarctica and responsible for approximately 25% of the ice loss on the continent. They analyzed this phenomenon using satellite radar images as well as data obtained from devices placed on the glacier by other scientists.

Stephanie Olinger, lead author of the study, said they believe this is the fastest rupture ever observed. This research was published in the journal AGU Advances.

Cracks often herald ice shelf separation, where large chunks of ice break off and fall into the sea. In other cases, faults can take months or years to form in Antarctica, but this shows that in some cases the process can happen instantly, especially in the most vulnerable parts of the continent.

The scientists’ research is important for understanding how glaciers may behave under the influence of global warming, which could cause Antarctic glaciers to melt and increase the frequency of such breaks. In a short time, glaciers behave like solid objects, but over a longer period of time, they resemble a flowing, honey-like liquid. However, this study highlights that under certain conditions, glaciers can break like brittle glass.

Scientists point out that a better understanding of the physics of the processes that affect the stability of glaciers is needed to improve the accuracy of large-scale ice sheet models and future sea level predictions. Source