ANTARCTICA – At the bottom of the planet, a huge iceberg about twice the size of New York City is about to break off from the icy, desert continent’s Brunt Ice Shelf.

Scientists are watching the progress of a huge crack in the ice shelf that began growing recently after being stable for more then three decades.

Scientists refer to it as Chasm 1 and it has grown by more than 650 feet in the past month, extending northward toward another big rift known as the Halloween Crack not far from a research facility maintained by the Survey.

The converging cracks mean that the separation, or calving, of an iceberg covering about 660 square miles is “geologically imminent,” scientists say, although when it might happen is not clear.

For more information, click here.

And, hey, an added bonus – if you’re really into it and want to see it in person, Hurtigruten airlines is offering free airfare.