According to the report, A23a, once the world’s largest iceberg, has fully broken apart recently. Its largest remaining fragment is only 11 kilometers long and covers an area of 35.2 square kilometers, no longer meeting the criteria for an iceberg name. This marks the end of its 40-year lifespan. A23a broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986.
In its final months, A23a moved rapidly with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. China’s Fengyun meteorological satellites recorded it drifting eastward at high speed, covering 473 kilometers in just seven days in mid-February. It then broke apart three times between late February and early April. By April 3, its main fragment had shrunk to only 35.2 square kilometers, well below the required size for an iceberg name.
