MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Off South Georgia, world’s largest iceberg disintegrating

Southwest of South Georgia and stretching further than the eye can see, Iceberg A23a is 40 miles wide and a total of 3,100 Sq Km, making it larger than Greater London.

It is also estimated to be 280m tall, 30m shorter than The Shard in London, despite only being able to see the 20m above sea level.

It has run aground approximately 50 miles southwest of South Georgia and is expected to impact the local ecosystem and shipping. The iceberg is anticipated to disintegrate far faster than initially thought, in months rather than years, now that it has entered South Georgia’s relatively warmer waters.

1312 Flt, alongside members of the Royal Navy, overflew the iceberg to account for its position, any break-away smaller icebergs, called ‘growlers’, and capture images of how the iceberg is breaking up for the local scientific community.

Photography by Cpl Roberts RAF Photographer