A gigantic iceberg, as big as Tarn-et-Garonne, will hit a British island

A 3,500 km2 ice monster is drifting dangerously towards South Georgia, a British territory located in the Atlantic Ocean. The impact of the iceberg with the island could significantly hamper local wildlife, which would have to travel miles to feed.

A 3,500 km2 ice titan, 33 times the size of Paris, threatens to collide with South Georgia, an isolated British territory. The A23a iceberg, as it is known, has only 280 km to go before hitting the small island, which is located between South America and Antarctica. The largest iceberg in the world to have broken away from the pack ice, whose vast cliffs rise to 400 m high, would weigh more than a thousand billion tonnes, says the BBC.

This sea behemoth was formed in 1986 after separating from the southern continent. For more than 30 years, it remained stranded in the Weddell Sea and kept a low profile, before continuing its journey north. Last December, the iceberg broke free from an ocean whirlpool in which it had remained trapped for several months. But the (very) large ice cube intends to hit the ground this time.

Less food for wild animals

Such a collision greatly worries scientists, because South Georgia is a nature reserve which is home to elephant seals, penguins and even seals. If the ice mass were to break off the coast of the small island, it could scatter thousands of pieces of ice and block the animals' access to food.

Fishermen's vessels could also be hampered for years. “These range from the size of several Wembley stadiums to pieces the size of your office,” said one fishing company. “These pieces largely cover the island. We have to fight our way through them,” one captain described.

In 2004, another ice giant washed up on the island, leading to the death of many penguins and seals, deprived of food, recalls the BBC.