WASHINGTON (AP) -- A massive iceberg has broken off the Ross Ice Shelf in the Antarctic.
The National Ice Center announced the emergence of iceberg B 18 Friday. The iceberg, which tore away from the ice shelf April 2, measures 4 miles wide by 11 miles long (6.4 kilometers by 17.7 kilometers), twice as wide and almost as long as New York's Manhattan Island.
The iceberg has moved slightly westward since breaking off the ice shelf but is not a threat to shipping lanes, officials said. The center said the iceberg is at 78 degrees 3 minutes south latitude, 159 degrees 22 minutes west longitude.
The National Ice Center, in suburban Suitland, Maryland, is jointly operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Coast Guard and the Navy. It tracks icebergs via satellite in the event warnings need to be issued to mariners.
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