Iceberg A23a Grounded Near South Georgia Island

Iceberg A23A was captured in this false-color corrected reflectance (Bands 7-2-1) image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua platform on March 4, 2025. The iceberg, the big blue object southwest of the island, has run aground near South Georgia Island in Antarctica.

A23A is currently the world's biggest iceberg with an area of approximately 3,000 square kilometers, which is about the size of Rhode Island. Previous movement predictions suggested that the iceberg, or megaberg, could collide with the island or get stuck in the shoals around it, or the ocean currents could guide the iceberg around the island. The iceberg calved from the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986.

This comparison shows the MODIS Blue Marble, with Shaded Relief and Bathymetry from 2004 on the left "A" side and the false-color corrected reflectance image on the right "B" side. Swipe the center bar back and forth to see where the iceberg has run aground along the continental shelf of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. The iceberg is about 90km from land. The shallower waters can be seen in lighter blue colors around the island.

Visit Worldview to visualize near real-time imagery from NASA's ESDIS; find more imagery in our Worldview weekly image archive.