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Giant Iceberg That Broke Free From Antarctica Has Begun Drifting

TerraSAR-X satellite image shows the giant iceberg A68 detaching from the Larsen-C ice shelf in Antarctica.
Image: Iceberg
The giant iceberg A68 detaches from the Larsen-C ice shelf in Antarctica on Aug. 1, left, and on Sept. 25.Airbus via AFP - Getty Images

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.

Related: Iceberg About the Size of Delaware Breaks off Antarctica

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.

Image: Antarctic iceberg expected to break away
A massive rift develops in Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf on Nov. 10, 2016, before the A68 iceberg broke off.John Sonntag / NASA via EPA

Photos: NASA's Antarctic Flyover Reveals Melting Continent