A 'gigantic' 315 billion tonne piece of ice has broken loose from Antarctica

The "calving" is part of the normal life cycle of ice shelves and not due to global warming, scientists have said.

The new iceberg, D28. Source: European Copernicus program

A new iceberg, more than half the size of the Australian Capital Territory, has broken off from the Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica. 

The iceberg covers 1,636 square kilometres but its separation is part of the normal cycle and not the result of climate change, the Australian Antarctic Division said.

European and US satellites captured the iceberg, now labelled D28, breaking away from the ice shelf on Thursday. It is about 210 meters thick and contains 315 billion tonnes of ice, American glaciologist Helen Amanda Fricker said.

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