New holographic coin highlights the effect of global warming

A new holographic coin showing the Larsen B ice shelf, which collapsed 15 years ago, has been issued by Pobjoy Mint on behalf of British Antarctic Territory.

The £2 coin, which has been minted to a limited issue of 2,002, features a hologram on the reverse side, showing the section of the Larsen B ice shelf which has collapsed; the ice shelf retreats as the coin is tilted. The rim of the coin has been designed with a cracked ice border, further reinforcing the theme of global warming and the importance of protecting our planet. The obverse of the coin carries a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Larsen Ice Shelf is a fringing ice shelf which stretches from the Weddell Sea along to the Antarctic Peninsula. In 2002, some 3,250 square kilometres of the ice shelving collapsed, disappearing into the ocean within a week, despite its 220m thickness.

The collapse came just seven years after the collapse of the Larsen A ice shelf, and the C section of the shelf is also at risk. This is the fourth largest ice shelf in Antarctica and now has a rift measuring more than 130km. Scientists estimate that this shelf will collapse some time during 2017.

For more information on the coin, visit the Pobjoy Mint website.

Larsen B ice shelf coin details

Issue date: 22 May 2017

Diameter: 38.60mm

Weight: 28.28g