NASA satellite images show a huge iceberg separating from the front of Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier. According to NASA, the iceberg is 33 km by 19 km - bigger than Malta.

Scientists have been studying Pine Island Glacier over the past two decades because it has been thinning quickly and may be one of the biggest reasons for sea level rise. The significance of this iceberg event is still to be determined, but icebergs are tracked for both scientific purposes and the danger they can pose to ships.

The crack in the ice shelf was discovered by scientists in October 2011, and over the next two years the crack widened as the 61 metres thick glacier travelled faster than 3.2 kilometres per year.

NASA imagery shows the iceberg breaking away from the Glacier and travelling into a basin of the Amundsen Sea in western Antarctica.

The sea is mostly ice-covered, and according to NASA, the iceberg broke through approximately 12.7 cm of ice and will likely be swept up soon in the currents of the Southern Ocean.

As of April 11, the US National Ice Center reported that iceberg has stayed almost the same shape since its formation.