That the world may be on thin ice as far as global warming is concerned was highlighted yet again, when an unusually large chunk of ice broke off the Grey Glacier in southern Chile.

The local authorities reported the development on Tuesday, with Chile's National Forest Corporation (Conaf) sharing photos of the blue-white slab of ice, which is 350m long and 380m wide, as it floated free.

Park officials at the Torres del Paine National Park, home to the glacier, said such ruptures were rare and had not occurred since the early 1990s, reported Reuters.

While it is still unclear what caused the breakage, the regional director of Conaf said that "high temperatures in recent days could have had something to do with the phenomenon", according to Xinhua.

The Chilean Antarctic Institute is said to be monitoring the situation via satellite to determine the potential impact on the area's ecosystem and navigation.