The largest iceberg in the world has run aground in the South Atlantic Ocean. The enormous wall of ice, known as A23a, was on a collision course with South Georgia Island. The island is mostly uninhabited by humans but is home to millions of seals and penguins.
The enormous iceberg broke off an ice shelf in Antarctica in 1986, spent 30 years stuck on the seafloor, and has been moving north since 2022, save for an eight-month period in 2024 where it was stuck rotating in the current. If the iceberg struck South Georgia Island, it was potentially catastrophic for the penguins and seals that breed there. The BBC reports that A23a is now firmly lodged on a shelf approximately 50 miles from the island.
Not all the island's wildlife may escape completely unarmed, however. As the freshwater in the iceberg melts into the ocean, it will reduce the amount of food for the macaroni penguins who feed on the shelf where A23a is resting. The iceberg has lost one-quarter of its mass since breaking free, and the remaining ice will present a challenge for fishing boats.
Previously: World's largest iceberg breaks free and spins wildly after 30-year Antarctic freeze
