A 490 square mile mass is now floating freely.

The Brunt Ice Shelf, located on the coast of Antarctica, is a massive floating sheet of ice connected to the Antarctic mainland. Whether due to climate change, seismic activity, or some other mysterious process, cracking and calving of this massive ice sheet is a fairly regular occurrence. Of course, regular or not, when a gigantic chunk of that ice breaks off and begins floating freely, researchers tend to take notice.

According to researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, a monumentally large iceberg has cracked off from the Brunt Ice Shelf and is now floating freely. This new iceberg has measured at approximately 490 square miles, which is larger than the entirety of New York City. This wasn’t an especially surprising event; in fact, the members of the BAS have actually been preparing for such an occasion for a while, so the change in topography likely won’t affect their research station.

“This is a dynamic situation,” said Simon Garrod, director of operations at the British Antarctic Survey, in a statement. “Four years ago we moved Halley Research Station inland to ensure that it would not be carried away when an iceberg eventually formed. That was a wise decision. Our job now is to keep a close eye on the situation and assess any potential impact of the present calving on the remaining ice shelf.”

The good news is that since the Brunt Ice Shelf is already a floating mass, this new iceberg breaking off shouldn’t contribute to any rises in sea levels. As for what happens next, the iceberg could drift further away from the shelf in the next few months, or it could run aground on the shelf, effectively rejoining it.