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Iceberg 'the size of Majorca' becomes world's largest

The world's largest iceberg has broken off an ice shelf in Antarctica. The enormous iceberg, name...
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

13.27 20 May 2021


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Iceberg 'the size of Majorca'...

Iceberg 'the size of Majorca' becomes world's largest

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

13.27 20 May 2021


Share this article


The world's largest iceberg has broken off an ice shelf in Antarctica.

The enormous iceberg, named as A-76, measures around 4,320 sq km in size.

It is about 170 km in length and 25km wide - making it slightly larger than the Spanish island of Majorca.

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It has been calved from the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf lying in the Weddell Sea.

It was spotted in recent images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission.

World's largest iceberg Source: ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) says this berg easily takes the prize as the world's biggest.

"The enormity of the berg makes it the largest in the world, snatching first place from the A-23A iceberg (approximately 3,880 sq km in size) which is also located in the Weddell Sea.

"In comparison, the A-74 iceberg that broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in February earlier this year, was only 1,270 sq km."

In July 2017, one of the largest icebergs on record calved from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica. Source: ESA

The iceberg was spotted by the British Antarctic Survey and confirmed from the US National Ice Centre using Copernicus imagery.

The Sentinel-1 mission consists of two polar-orbiting satellites that allow year-round viewing of remote regions like Antarctica.

Icebergs are traditionally named from the Antarctic quadrant where they were originally sighted, then a sequential number, then - if the iceberg breaks - a sequential letter.


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Antarctica ESA European Space Agency Iceberg Majorca Weddell Sea World's Largest Iceberg

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