Is Glacier Calving Normal?

You are completely right that iceberg calving is a completely normal process in Antarctica. Antarctica loses about 1089 Gt of ice per year through calving icebergs – exceeded only by basal melt. This iceberg is unusually large, but we cannot attribute its calving event directly to climate change.

Is it normal for glaciers to calve?

Calving is most common when a glacier flows into water (i.e. lakes or the ocean) but can also occur on dry land, where it is known as dry calving².

How often do glaciers calve?

Calving of Greenland's glaciers produce 12,000 to 15,000 icebergs each year alone. Calving of ice shelves is usually preceded by a rift. These events are not often observed. Etymologically, calving is cognatic to when the verb is also used to mean "to give birth to a calf."