By Tim Binnall
A NASA project studying climate conditions in Antarctica recently snapped a stunning image of a rectangular iceberg that has left many observers online scratching their heads. The breathtaking formation was photographed during a flyover of the polar continent by researchers with Operation IceBridge. The nearly-decade long endeavor by the space agency aims to keep an eye on the status of the planet's polar ice.
As researchers passed over Antarctica last week during the latest IceBridge flight, they caught a glimpse of the oddly-shaped iceberg which stands out in stark contrast to the choppy water around it. The agency subsequently shared the image on the NASA Ice Twitter account and, as such photos often do, it captured the imagination of many people online. Sadly, before one begins thinking that the iceberg is the work of aliens or, perhaps even better, some kind of doorway to the Hollow Earth, it seems that the formation isn't exactly quite that special.
According to the NASA post, this is a tabular iceberg, which is one of two types of iceberg formations, with the other being the more iconic cartoonish version of a proverbial mountain of ice floating on water. The agency explained that the "sharp angles and flat surface" of the iceberg, which is located near an ice shelf known as Larson B, "indicate that it probably recently calved" from the larger chunk of chilly material. Offering further insight into the formation, an ice scientist with NASA told the website LiveScience that the crispness of the iceberg's edges suggest that it is relatively fresh and haven't been influenced by winds.