Overview
- The glacier retreated about 8 kilometers in November–December 2022, shedding roughly half its mass with daily losses reaching around 800 meters.
- Between February 2022 and March 2023, about 84 square kilometers of once‑grounded, hundreds‑of‑meters‑thick ice disappeared from the Hektoria system.
- The break‑up followed the failure of long‑standing floating ice that had buttressed the glacier, allowing thinned ice on a flat bed to float and calve rapidly.
- The collapse generated six earthquakes detectable worldwide as large ice blocks broke off over subsequent months.
- Scientists say the immediate sea‑level effect was negligible due to Hektoria’s size, yet similar conditions could destabilize larger glaciers such as Thwaites and Pine Island, which current models struggle to simulate.