Two massive cracks, Chasm 1 and Halloween Crack, are splitting across Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf, raising concerns about the stability of ice shelves that act as barriers holding back vast amounts of landlocked water. As global warming accelerates the likelihood of further cracking and potential collapse, the consequences for global sea level rise are severe—particularly since hundreds of millions of people live in low-lying coastal areas. To better understand and predict these risks, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey are closely monitoring the rifts using satellite imagery, seismometers, and radar.
In a unique collaboration between the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and our department, the Antarctic ice undergoes a series of destructive crush experiments under the watchful eye of earthquake and rock physicist Tom Mitchell. By crushing samples and tracking how cracks propagate through ice crystals, researchers are uncovering the mechanics behind fracture toughness and rift evolution. Findings from the Brunt Ice Shelf provide critical data that can be applied to other regions of Antarctica, especially the vast and vulnerable Thwaites Glacier, whose collapse would have even more dramatic consequences for rising seas.
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