Massive iceberg, twice the size of Greater London, is NOT melting for last eight months. Here's why

Scientists are stunned to find an iceberg - which is twice as big as Greater London - continuously spinning on one spot for the last eight months near Antarctica.

The world's largest iceberg A23a was caught in a massive rotating cylinder of water, which is called as Taylor Column, in December and since then has been rotating at nearly 15 degrees a day.

Because of this constant rotation, the massive frozen block has stopped from melting and fragmenting, said the scientists, while speaking toBBC and added that A23a has the chances of getting trapped in the vortex for years.

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Speaking about the iceberg, Polar expert Professor Mark Brandon said, "Usually you think of icebergs as being transient things; they fragment and melt away. But not this one. A23a is the iceberg that just refuses to die."

All about Iceberg A23a - world's largest surviving iceberg

A23a is the world's largest iceberg to date after it broke from the Antarctic's Filchner Ice Shelf in August 1986.

According to the experts, the iceberg moved only a few hundred miles before it got stuck or was 'grounded' on the ocean floor and eventually became stationary for the next 30 years.

The 'ground' of the icebergs on the ocean floor is a little deeper in comparison to the depth of the water.

As per the scientists, the iceberg was on the move in November and was getting carried northwards by wind and ocean currents.

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It was estimated that the surface area of the iceberg is 1,500 square miles and its volume is 263 cubic miles. The mass of the iceberg is below one trillion tonnes.

Because of this, the iceberg is not only four times as big as Greater London but is also 100 million times as heavy as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Before this, iceberg A76 - which had detached itself from the ice shelf in the Weddell Sea in May 2021, was the largest one but it later fragmented into three pieces.

The scientists fear that such a huge iceberg can disrupt the feeding routines of wildlife like penguins.

"It depends on its trajectory, but there is potential for impact to wildlife if it approaches any of the sub-Antarctic islands,' said a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) spokesperson, while speaking to MailOnline.

(With inputs from agencies)