Brunt Ice Shelf, Halley Research Station, and rift evolution observed by Sentinel-1 SAR

During the 2016-2017 Austral summer, the UK’s Antarctic Halley VI Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf was moved to reduce the risks posed by the growth of a large rift known as Chasm 1. This animation based on microwave radar images from the European Space Agency Sentinel-1 satellites shows the development of Chasm 1 before and after the relocation, and the hypothetical location of Halley VI over the move period based on the published start and end locations and dates (https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/moving-halley/). Watch out for the ‘Halloween Crack’ (so named because it was first discovered on 30th October 2016) as it develops over the following two years.