A68: Well-Documented Massive Iceberg Melts Away Off South Georgia Island

A massive Antarctic iceberg that became a viral phenomenon on the Internet, with its journeys considered the most documented in history, has melted away in the Atlantic Ocean.

Live Science said in a report that the iceberg named A68 broke off the Antarctic Larson C ice sheet in 2017, and is recognized as one of the most enormous icebergs ever. When it separated from the ice sheet, it measured 2,240 square miles or 5,800 square kilometers.

How A68 Iceberg Cracked as it Approached South Georgia Island

Since then, the iceberg had traversed through the South Atlantic, going toward the South Georgia Island. In its journey, waves and warm temperatures cracked it into large chunks, which had since further broke off into smaller pieces that are difficult to track.

The US National Ice Center monitors icebergs that are at least 10 nautical miles or 18.5 kilometers in length or an area of at least 20 square nautical miles or 68.5 kilometers. The biggest piece of Larson C no longer meets these standards as of April 16, since it now measures only three nautical miles by two nautical miles or 5.5 kilometers by 3.7 kilometers.

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Earth scientists analyzed and tracked A68 more than any iceberg that ever existed. It was apparent that the massive iceberg began to crack due to the strain of movement, after a week it broke off from the ice shelf.

Researchers could notice the ice rifts and water temperature differential around it. They witnessed the iceberg attach itself on a seamount not too distant from where it calved from the ice sheet and then moved to warmer waters, as reported by NASA.

In November last year, the BBC reported that A68 would crash into South Georgia Island, thus potentially blocking penguins from reaching the oceans. However, A68 swung wide and slowly got soggy and ruptured as waves hit it and warm water encroached in the small cracks.

Most Tracked, Documented, and Shared Iceberg Ever

Scientists saw every twist and turn of the iceberg, followed its progress using satellite images at an unprecedented level of detail.

Researchers have likewise sought to understand how the immense calving event that gave birth to A68 would affect the surrounding ecosystems, although the unforgiving Antarctic climate made the task difficult.

In 2018, a British Antarctic Survey expedition proceeded to the calving site to gather seafloor samples but thwarted by heavy sea ice. A second mission in 2019 tried but was also stymied. But, a mission to Georgia Island proved successful as researchers tapped marine robots near the island to know more about how the cold, freshwater influx from the melting parts of A68 affected the surrounding ecosystem. A robot was lost but the other would be able to provide needed data as it is set to be recovered in May.

A68 will always be remembered as the viral social media star, with people around the world sharing satellite pictures online, especially when the iceberg was about to hit Georgia Island, according to a BBC report. Conversations on Twitter and Instagram on the iceberg had been far and wide.