The TRUE scale of the world’s biggest iceberg: Enormous ‘megaberg’ that broke free last month is just under one TRILLION tonnes – 100 million times as heavy as the Eiffel Tower, scientists say

New satellite measurements reveal the true scale of the world’s largest iceberg.

Called A23a, the floating ice shelf has an area of ​​1,500 square miles, a volume of 263 cubic miles and a mass of just under a trillion tons.

That makes it not only four times larger than Greater London, but also 100 million times heavier than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

A23a, which is shaped like a “tooth”, is now being carried north by wind and ocean currents “at high speed” after 30 years of being anchored to the ocean floor.

It is floating past the Antarctic Peninsula (which sticks out from the continent like a tail) and should break up due to more turbulent waters once it reaches the open ocean.

According to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which visited A23a last week, the iceberg is traveling north at a speed of approximately 30 miles per day.

There is a chance that the huge iceberg could disrupt the feeding routines of wild animals like penguins, for example, if it parks in an area where they normally forage.

“It depends on its trajectory, but there is a chance it could affect wildlife if it approaches any of the sub-Antarctic islands,” a BAS spokesperson told MailOnline.

A23a is the largest surviving fragment of an iceberg that broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in August 1986.

It had only moved a couple hundred miles when it became stuck, or “grounded,” on the bottom of the ocean, and ended up stuck for the next 30 years.

Icebergs “sink” to the ocean floor when their keel (the part below the water’s surface) is deeper than the depth of the water.

The European Space Agency’s CryoSat satellite has discovered that a part of the base of the iceberg in particular protruded much deeper, making it act as an anchor.

Scientists revealed last month that the iceberg is on the move again, being pulled north by wind and ocean currents.

Satellite images from the European Space Agency show the iceberg approaching Clarence Island and Elephant Island, both near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

“A23a has accelerated and is rapidly moving away from Antarctic waters,” the agency said Dec. 1.

“Like most icebergs in the Weddell sector, A23a is likely to end in the South Atlantic in a path called iceberg alley.”

BAS experts aboard the British polar research ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, took photographs of A23a last week after it crossed their path during a “lucky” encounter.

The team sampled ocean surface waters around the iceberg’s path to help determine what life might form around it and how the iceberg and others like it affect carbon in the ocean.

“It’s amazing to see this huge iceberg in person – it stretches as far as the eye can see,” said Andrew Meijers, chief scientist aboard the research ship.

American planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who was part of another trip to visit A23a last month, has been posting photographs of the iceberg on X.

In a publication“It feels like sailing alongside a new country,” he said.

A23a is currently the largest iceberg in the world, but this title will not last forever because all icebergs eventually break up.

As it moves north, water temperatures will cause A23a to become thinner before breaking up and melting completely.

The previous record holder was A76, which broke off from an ice shelf in the Weddell Sea in May 2021, but has since broken up into three pieces.