Crack on Petermann Glacier in Greenland

Polar explorer and expert in glacier travel Eric Philips looks down into one of the 'cracks' in the Petermann glacier where it is crossed by a ravine, this crack is the one between blocks 'B' and 'C'. Small boulders and debris have fallen into the crack. Also visible is a thinner open crack, free of debris and snow, suggesting recent movement. It is anticipated by scientists studying the glacier that as this crack continues to actively widen, that a piece will break off- an ice island- will float away into the Petermann fjord and beyond to the sea. The glaciologists on site have named the vulnerable pieces 'A' 'B' and 'C'.