Strange Rectangular Iceberg Spotted In Antarctica Looks Eerily Artificial

A massive slab of iceberg that recently separated from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica is so geometrically perfect that it almost looks unreal.

Square Iceberg

NASA shared the photo of the iceberg that has since become viral. On Twitter, it fetched over 3,000 retweets, 6,000 likes, and hundreds of responses. It has captured the imagination of many, with some theorizing that it was made by aliens.

However, there is no giant conspiracy around the perfectly rectangular slab of ice. It was a naturally occurring phenomenon called tabular ice which, unlike the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912, has flat tops and steep sides.

Sometimes, these tabular icebergs are gigantic in size, measuring hundreds of miles in length and hundreds of feet in height.

NASA spotted the on Oct. 16 during one of its IceBridge Flights, a program that tracks the global climate system. Based on its smooth edges, the agency believes that it has not been long since the iceberg separated from Larsen C in Antarctica.

"What makes this one a bit unusual is that it looks almost like a square," said Kelly Brunt, an ice scientist from NASA.

From the photo alone, it is impossible to determine the size of the iceberg, but Brunt estimated that the tabular iceberg is about a mile across. Only about 10 percent is visible above water.

Splitting Ice Shelves Of Antarctica

Larsen C, an ice shelf, also produced the A-68 iceberg in 2017. In September, after getting stuck for over a year, the iceberg has turned around, suggesting that it is ready to move.