Thousands of small icebergs have broken off the world's largest iceberg, A23a, after it arrived off South Georgia Island in March. (Photo courtesy of NASA/Aqua)
A stunning new satellite image has shown that the planet's largest iceberg is beginning to break up into thousands of smaller pieces as it remains stuck near a sanctuary in Antarctica. But it could take months, if not years, for the mass to completely disappear.
The “megaberg,” known as A23a, currently covers an area of about 1,200 square miles (3,100 square kilometers) — roughly the size of Long Island. It first broke away from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986, but became trapped when its bottom caught on the seafloor. It remained in place until January 2023, when it finally began moving away from the Antarctic mainland. During that time, it became the “world's largest iceberg” multiple times as larger icebergs came and went, and most recently reclaimed the title in June 2023.
The massive iceberg became trapped again in early 2024, caught in a massive ocean vortex. It continued to spin in place for months before breaking free in December 2024 and resuming its journey north through the Drake Passage – also known as the “iceberg graveyard,” where large Antarctic icebergs head to their final demise.
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