![Largest iceberg caught in vortex](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3380x1730+0+0/resize/1800/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2a%2F18%2F385c6a19445f9bb26b8242aa424f%2Fscreenshot-2024-08-10-at-12-23-18-pm.png)
The world's largest iceberg, A23a, is stuck again.
For more than 30 years, the giant frozen block — equivalent to the size of Rhode Island — was grounded on the sea floor in Antarctic coastal waters. It finally freed itself in 2020 and started heading to the open ocean this past winter.
But a few months into A23a's journey, onlookers were stunned at what they saw: the iceberg spinning in circles.
Through satellite imagery, British Antarctic Survey noticed the mega iceberg rotating near the South Orkney Islands, about 375 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula, starting in January. According to the Survey, A32a maintains "a chill 15 degrees rotation per day."