Watch: 1-trillion-ton iceberg majestically floats away from Antarctica
The British Antarctic Survey released a video showcasing the massive iceberg known as A23a, which is 40 miles wide and stretches as far as the eye can see.
World's largest iceberg moving toward open sea
A 40-mile-wide iceberg in Antarctica, the largest in the world and weighing a whopping 1 trillion tons, is on the move after decades grounded to the sea floor, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) announced.
JOINVILLE ISLAND, Antarctica – Behold the world's largest iceberg, a colossal mass of ice that has been grounded for decades, but has now started moving again across the polar regions of Antarctica's open waters.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) released a video above showcasing the massive iceberg known as A23a, which is 40 miles wide and stretches as far as the eye can see.
Weighing 1 trillion tons with its icy blue hues glistening in the sunlight, the iceberg sits as big as the Hawaiian island of Oahu and three times larger than New York City, according to the BAS.
![A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades.]()
Image 1 of 4A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades. (British Antarctic Survey via Storyful)
![A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades.]()
Image 2 of 4A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades. (British Antarctic Survey via Storyful)
![A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades.]()
Image 3 of 4A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades. (British Antarctic Survey via Storyful)
![A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades.]()
Image 4 of 4A 40-mile-wide iceberg, weighing 1 trillion tons, is on the move in Antarctica after being grounded for decades. (British Antarctic Survey via Storyful)
The iceberg, which broke off from the Filchner Ice Shelf in August 1986, had been stuck on the sea floor ever since.
"It started moving minutely in 2020, but as you can see from the time-lapse, it started picking up speed in early 2022," Em Newton, a digital communications officer for the BAS, told FOX Weather back in November.
The video displays the intricate details of an iceberg's surface that the ship encountered about 56 miles northeast of Joinville Island on Dec. 1. It illustrates the iceberg's jagged edges and deep crevasses, giving viewers a sense of this natural wonder's sheer scale and beauty.
The iceberg will likely be swept along by the current in the South Atlantic through "iceberg alley" as it slowly melts away, Newton said.