Photo Details

The Petermann Glacier grinds and slides toward the sea along the northwestern coast of Greenland, terminating in a giant floating ice tongue. Like other glaciers that end in the ocean, Petermann periodically calves icebergs. In July 2012, a massive ice island broke free and gradually drifted down the fjord, away from the floating ice tongue from which it calved. This satellite image has been rotated and north is toward the right. Analysis of the image reveals that the iceberg covers an area of about 32.3 sq km (12.5 sq mi). Image courtesy of NASA.