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December 12, 2025 - Iceberg A23A
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Once the largest iceberg on Earth, Iceberg A-23A continues to shatter and shrink as it drifts away from South Georgia Island. The Moderate Resolution (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the iceberg and surrounding fragments on December 11, 2025. South Georgia Island can be seen southeast of A-23A.
Iceberg A-23A first broke off of the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986 and almost immediately lodged on the seafloor of the southern Weddell Sea, sticking there for decades. In the early 2020s, the giant ‘berg broke free and began drifting northward. In March 2024, the northward drift was interrupted when A-23A was caught in a rotating ocean vortex in the Drake Passage. After spending months in the spin-cycle, A-23A broke free in late 2024, only to become stuck once again on the shallow coastal shelf of South Georgia Island in May 2025.
After freeing itself once more, the big berg drifted north of South Georgia Island and began to break apart, shedding multiple pieces. By mid-September, A-23A had become the second-largest iceberg on Earth as it continued to drift northward toward the Southern Ocean, where relatively warm waters are expected to hasten melting.
On December 5, the U.S. National Ice Center reported that A-23A spanned 391.63 square nautical miles (518.6 square miles), which means it was slightly larger than half of the state of Rhode Island. This means it has been reduced to the fourth-largest iceberg currently on Earth, behind D-15A, B-22A, and A-81.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/11/2025
Resolutions:
1km (170.8 KB), 500m (402.9 KB), 250m (704.3 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Once the largest iceberg on Earth, Iceberg A-23A continues to shatter and shrink as it drifts away from South Georgia Island. The Moderate Resolution (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the iceberg and surrounding fragments on December 11, 2025. South Georgia Island can be seen southeast of A-23A.
Iceberg A-23A first broke off of the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986 and almost immediately lodged on the seafloor of the southern Weddell Sea, sticking there for decades. In the early 2020s, the giant ‘berg broke free and began drifting northward. In March 2024, the northward drift was interrupted when A-23A was caught in a rotating ocean vortex in the Drake Passage. After spending months in the spin-cycle, A-23A broke free in late 2024, only to become stuck once again on the shallow coastal shelf of South Georgia Island in May 2025.
After freeing itself once more, the big berg drifted north of South Georgia Island and began to break apart, shedding multiple pieces. By mid-September, A-23A had become the second-largest iceberg on Earth as it continued to drift northward toward the Southern Ocean, where relatively warm waters are expected to hasten melting.
On December 5, the U.S. National Ice Center reported that A-23A spanned 391.63 square nautical miles (518.6 square miles), which means it was slightly larger than half of the state of Rhode Island. This means it has been reduced to the fourth-largest iceberg currently on Earth, behind D-15A, B-22A, and A-81.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/11/2025
Resolutions:
1km (170.8 KB), 500m (402.9 KB), 250m (704.3 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
