Current Date: 16 Dec, 2025
{{entry.title}}

World's largest iceberg breaks off Antarctica

In 1986, the iceberg known as A23a broke away from the Antarctic coast. However, it quickly grounded in the Weddell Sea, effectively turning into an ice island.

The British Antarctic Survey reports that after being anchored for more than thirty years, one of the biggest icebergs in the world is now floating outside of Antarctic waters.

The iceberg, dubbed A23a, broke off from the Filchner Ice Shelf in the Antarctic in 1986. However, it stuck to the Weddell Sea’s bottom and stayed there for a long time.

Not at all anymore. With the help of powerful winds and currents, the nearly a trillion metric tonne iceberg is currently drifting swiftly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, according to recent satellite images.

The iceberg, which measures roughly 4,000 sq km (1,500 square miles), is roughly three times the size of New York City and more than twice the size of Greater London.

According to glaciologist Oliver Marsh of the British Antarctic Survey, it is uncommon to witness an iceberg this size moving, so researchers will be closely monitoring its course.

The massive iceberg will most likely be propelled into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as it gathers momentum. This will direct it down what is known as “iceberg alley,” which leads to the Southern Ocean and where similar objects can be seen floating in murky waters. Why it is running for it right now is unclear.

According to Marsh, it has most likely simply thinned over time and acquired a tiny bit of extra buoyancy that has allowed it to lift off the ocean floor and be carried by ocean currents. A23a is also one of the oldest icebergs in the world.

The British Antarctic Survey’s Andrew Fleming, a specialist in remote sensing, told the BBC that the iceberg had been drifting for a year and now seemed to be moving faster.

According to Fleming, “the time had just come.” Fleming told the BBC, “I asked a couple of colleagues about this, wondering if there was any possible change in shelf water temperatures that might have provoked it.”

According to Fleming, he saw movement from the iceberg for the first time in 2020. According to the British Antarctic Survey, it is currently ungrounded and traveling to South Georgia, which is sub-Antarctic, via ocean currents.

A23a might once more become grounded at South Georgia Island. The fauna of Antarctica would then have a problem. Seabirds, penguins, and seals number in the millions, and they breed on the island and in the nearby waters. Behemoth A23a might prevent this kind of access.

Fears that A68, another massive iceberg, would crash into South Georgia in 2020 and destroy marine life there and cut off food supplies were aroused in 2020. The iceberg finally broke up into smaller pieces, preventing a much worse fate—possibly A23a’s ultimate goal.

Similar Stories
How Being Bugs Bunny Helped This Voice Actor Out of Coma

How Being Bugs Bunny Helped This Voice Actor Out of Coma

Mel Blanc; the voice of Bugs Bunny, had been in a serious car accident that put him in a coma. After many unsuccessful attempts to get him to talk, a doctor asked “Bugs, can you hear me” Mel responded in the voice of bugs bunny, “Whats up, Doc? The doctors used this to lead him out of his coma.

How Magic Johnson Missed Out On $7 Billion Nike deal

How Magic Johnson Missed Out On $7 Billion Nike deal

Magic Johnson turned down a deal with Nike in 1979 that offered him 100,000 shares of stock and $1 for every pair of shoes sold. Instead, he chose Converse, which offered him $100,000 per year. Johnson lost about $5 billion by declining the Nike deal.

The fearless Annie Lee Cooper

The fearless Annie Lee Cooper

Annie Lee Cooper was fired in 1963 after attempting to register to vote. She attempted it once more in 1965, but the sheriff ordered her to leave after prodding her in the neck with a club. She then punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. She was imprisoned before ultimately registering to vote. Following the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the sheriff was ousted and subsequently imprisoned for collaborating to transport drugs, but Annie Lee Cooper lived to reach 100 years old and bears her name to this day.

Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed

Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed

There is a 300-year-old mummified mermaid with 30 centimetres tall and features a human-like head, two hands with what appear to be fingernails, and its lower body that look like a fish tail. The “mermaid mummy” is being probed by Japanese scientists in an attempt to unravel the mystery of its existence.

ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time

ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time

The ILOVEYOU Virus, also known as Love Letter for You or Love Bug, had a high infection rate due to its ability to spread itself by copying entries from users' email address books. It is a virus that was created in 2000 by a college student in Manilla, Philippines, and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst computer virus of all time, causing more damage than anything before it.

The world’s longest flight spent more than two months in the air

The world’s longest flight spent more than two months in the air

Roberts Timm and Jim Cook, two pilots, flew an aircraft for more than two months without landing in 1958. Matching the speed of a truck moving down the road to refuel. A mattress for sleeping, a small steel sink for personal hygiene, the removal of most interior fittings to reduce weight, and a basic autopilot were among the improvements.

24-year-old burglar beaten by retired boxer victim

24-year-old burglar beaten by retired boxer victim

A 24-year-old knife-wielding burglar attempted to get into the home of a 72-year-old senior in Oxford, England, in 2009, but was left battered, bruised, and pinned to the ground. Frank Corti, the elderly, turned out to be a former boxing champion.

A subway in Chongqing passes through a building (images)

A subway in Chongqing passes through a building (images)

A train has been constructed through an apartment complex in Chongqing, China. The 19-story residential structure is not only passed by the light rail passenger train, but it also serves as a transit stop. Apartment residents can simply get a ride from the sixth to eighth levels.

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

Stefano Mariottini was snorkeling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace in 1972 when he noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand and called the police, thinking it was a corpse. It was actually two statues of "Warriors from Riace" - 5th century BC Greek bronze statues.