An iceberg, which is larger than US state of Rhode Island, is closing in on the British territory of South Georgia Island in the Atlantic ocean, Washington Post reported.

The iceberg, named A68a by the National Ice Center, had broken off an Antarctic ice shelf in 2017. 

It is reportedly less than 31 miles off the coast of the island of South Georgia, a home to large colonies of penguins, seals and other unique wildlife.

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“If it does hit the island, it will hit the undersea shelf and ground offshore. Note that the island and iceberg are about the same size!”David Long,director of the center for remote sensing at Brigham Young University, told Washington Post via email.

Even if it grounds off the coast of the island, its huge size will make it difficult for the wildlife,both from land and sea, to access food in the area.

“Should the iceberg, which is about 93 miles long and 30 miles wide, become grounded just off the coast, it could become difficult for the millions of king and macaroni penguins, seals and seabirds to find food, such as fish, forcing them to travel long distances around the iceberg,” Washington Post wrote.

“In addition, blue whales feed just off the coast of the island, and this could complicate their access to krill.”

The Royal Air Force conducted an overflight of the iceberg this week to get a better idea of its size, stability and motion.

“The imagery stills, video footage and visual observations will all assist in predicting the iceberg’s future behaviour and ascertaining the scale of the threat to the local area,” the British Forces South Atlantic Islands said.