Huge Antarctic Iceberg Heads Towards South Georgia Island

Strong currents have taken hold of a massive Antarctic iceberg that is on a collision course with South Georgia island, causing it to shift direction and lose a major chunk of mass.

The British Guradian has quoted Scientist Gerint Tarling, professor of biological oceanography at the British Antarctic Survey, who has tracked the movement of the iceberg. He said that as the iceberg, dubbed A68A, approached the western shelf edge of the south Atlantic island this week, it encountered strong currents, causing it to pivot nearly 180 degrees.

Tarling explained: “You can almost imagine it as a handbrake turn for the iceberg because the currents were so strong."

That was when the iceberg appeared to clip the shelf edge, and caused a large piece to break apart. That new piece is an iceberg in its own right and already has a name: A68D.

Scientists have been watching for weeks as the massive iceberg, last measured at 4,200 sq km, rode a fast-track current towards the island.

Researchers feared that, as the iceberg closed in on the wildlife-rich island, it could grind into the seabed, disrupting underwater ecosystems. They were also worried that it might block penguins making their way into the sea for food.

The island is one of the British overseas territories and is home to wildlife inhabited by penguins, seals and albatross birds.

The A68A ice mass separated from Antarctica in 2017.