Giant Antarctic iceberg A-81 drifts north past South Georgia

Iceberg A-81, roughly 1,550 square kilometers in area, has drifted about 2,300 kilometers north from the Brunt Ice Shelf over three years. A NASA Terra satellite image taken on 20 Oct 2026 showed the iceberg near South Georgia. NASA reports that it left the Weddell Sea fairly quickly and slowed when it reached an underwater shelf near a remote island. The iceberg separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf in January 2023. NASA also reports that several other large icebergs have recently broken off the shelf in quick succession.