The world’s largest iceberg, which eerily resembles the megalithic ice wall from Game of Thrones, has finally swirled to a stop. A23a, as the “megaberg” is classified, previously broke free from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1983, but was grounded on the seabed for nearly 30 years.
Then, a couple months ago, it broke free once again and was on the loose, traveling freely through the ocean’s currents. It looked as if it was on a direct collision course with the sub-Antarctic home to marine life and seabirds, South Georgia Island, a sovereign state of the United Kingdom.
Now, the slab of ice – which, mind you, is about the size of Rhode Island – has run aground, hitting the seafloor some 55 miles off the coast of South Georgia Island.
Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey have been monitoring A23a, following its great escape. And they were the first to report that the megaberg had run aground. For more on the current situation with the world’s largest iceberg, here’s a Q&A with Oceanographer Dr. Andrew Meijers:
Where is the iceberg now?
“The iceberg is grounded on the continental shelf of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, about 90km from land.”
What is currently happening with the iceberg?
“The iceberg, at least in satellite images, appears to be maintaining its structure and has not yet broken up into smaller chunks, as previous ‘megabergs’ have done. It was meandering in the currents before grounding near South Georgia.”
What does A23a look like?
“In late 2023, I was on the research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough as it sailed along A23a, taking almost the whole day. It looks like towering wall emerging from the ocean, stretching from horizon to horizon. Some portions were quite pitted and undercut by the action of waves and melt.”
Related: 1,000,000,000,000 Ton Iceberg Breaks Loose in Antarctica
So, now, what happens to the one trillion tons of ice? According to Meijers:
“Now it’s grounded, it is even more likely to break up due to the increased stresses, but this is practically impossible to predict. Large bergs have made it a long way north before – one got within 1000km of Perth Australia once – but they all inevitably break up and melt quickly after.”
Related: One Trillion Ton Iceberg on Crash Course for Small Island
