Giant iceberg that broke free from Antarctica has begun drifting

Desdemona Despair

By Erik Ortiz
27 September 2017

(NBC News) – After breaking free from Antarctica this summer, a giant iceberg roughly the size of Delaware is moving on to open waters.

New satellite images from TerraSAR-X show the iceberg known as A68 has begun to drift away from the Larsen C ice shelf and is being driven by currents, potentially toward the South Atlantic.

After breaking free from Antarctica this summer, a giant iceberg roughly the size of Delaware is moving on to open waters.

New satellite images from TerraSAR-X show the iceberg known as A68 has begun to drift away from the Larsen C ice shelf and is being driven by currents, potentially toward the South Atlantic.

The iceberg— weighing an estimated 1.12 trillion tons — officially ripped from the frozen formation in July in a process known as calving, according to scientists at the University of Swansea in Britain. It’s such a colossal chunk of ice that maps of the peninsula must be redrawn.

The remaining ice shelf will be closely watched for signs of collapse. There also remains the possibility that the iceberg could pose a risk to cruise ships passing from South America.

Giant Iceberg That Broke Free From Antarctica Has Begun Drifting