The oldest iceberg on the planet is breaking apart

According to scientists, its finale is close: by the end of November, the iceberg may finally crumble, and its demise may resemble an ice collapse in the ocean.

This is reported by the Associated Press with reference to the ice scientist Ted Scambos from the University of Colorado.

Iceberg A23A broke away from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in Antarctica back in 1986, along a crack that scientists noticed back in the 1950s and called the "Great Abyss." Since then, it drifted for decades not far from the mainland, until a few years ago, when it began to move north, in the area of South Georgia Island - a place where, as scientists say, icebergs "die".

At the beginning of 2025, its area was comparable to the US state of Rhode Island and its mass reached a trillion tonnes. By September, however, it had shrunk to the size of Houston. The new largest iceberg is now considered to be D15A - it is almost twice as large as A23A in its current form.

NASA satellite images already show A23A breaking up into smaller pieces - such as A23D, A23E and A23F. While the iceberg is still quite thick, it has become thinner compared to what it was when it separated from the mainland.

As Scambos explains, it is affected by tides and long waves, causing it to bend gradually. Even mild but constant stress causes weak areas to crack and splinter. According to another expert, Andrew Meyers of the British Antarctic Survey, the breakup process will only accelerate as the Antarctic spring and summer progresses.

If A23A does not finally disintegrate by the end of spring, the Antarctic summer could be fatal for it. It could then be "blown away" in a single day - like an ice avalanche, Scambos explains. Warm water, penetrating even the upper layers, could finally kill the giant.

Just in early 2024, the iceberg looked like "an ice wall from the TV series Game of Thrones," recalls Meyers, who visited A23A in late 2023. It stretched from horizon to horizon and towered over the ship - a true natural wonder.

Of course, icebergs breaking off and breaking up is not a new phenomenon. It is a natural process observed for centuries. But each such case remains impressive - not only because of the scale, but also because of the possible consequences. Although icebergs themselves do not contribute to sea level rise (because they are already floating in water), their disappearance opens the way for melting glaciers on land, which could affect the level of the oceans in the future.