Chuck Darwin<p>World’s biggest iceberg runs aground after a near-40-year journey from Antarctica</p><p>The world’s biggest iceberg appears to have run aground roughly 70km (43 miles) from a remote Antarctic island, <br>potentially sparing the crucial wildlife haven from being hit, a research organisation said Tuesday.</p><p>The colossal iceberg <a href="https://c.im/tags/A23a" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>A23a</span></a> – which measures roughly 3,300 sq km and weighs nearly 1tn tonnes – has been drifting north from Antarctica towards South Georgia island since 2020.<br>This had raised fears it could collide with the island or run aground in shallower water near it, <br>potentially disrupting the ability of penguins and seals to feed their young.</p><p>It remains unclear whether the iceberg is stuck for good. </p><p>The gigantic wall of ice has been stuck 73km from the island since 1 March, according to a statement from the BAS. </p><p>“If the iceberg stays grounded, we don’t expect it to significantly affect the local wildlife,” Meijers said.</p><p>“In the last few decades, the many icebergs that end up taking this route through the Southern Ocean soon break up, disperse and melt,” <br>added Meijers, who encountered A23a in late 2023 and has tracked its fate via satellite ever since.</p><p>The world’s biggest and oldest iceberg calved from the Antarctic shelf in 1986.</p><p>It remained stuck for more than 30 years before finally breaking free in 2020, <br>its lumbering journey north sometimes delayed by ocean forces that kept it spinning in place<br><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/05/a23a-iceberg-runs-aground-south-georgia-climate?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/environment/20</span><span class="invisible">25/mar/05/a23a-iceberg-runs-aground-south-georgia-climate?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other</span></a></p>