Environment
World’s Largest Iceberg Breaks Free from Whirlpool, Moving Northward
A23a, the largest iceberg in the world, has escaped from a whirlpool in Antarctica after being trapped for a year, Anadolu Agency reported today, adding that it is now drifting northward.
The British Antarctic Survey reported that A23a is on the move again. The iceberg has a surface area of approximately 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles) and a thickness of 400 meters (1,212 feet).
Originally breaking away from the Antarctic coastline in 1986, A23a became stuck in the Weddell Sea, transforming into an “ice island.” After remaining stationary for over 30 years, it began to move last year before becoming ensnared in a large whirlpool during the spring.