Icebergs Drift Off Argentina Coast

Seven icebergs from Antarctica were spotted Friday unusually far north off the southern coast of Argentina, but authorities said they posed no danger to shipping and would soon melt.

The largest block of ice is 2,300 feet long and rises 150 feet above the waves. It was first seen this week by a fisherman off the beach resort of Mar del Plata.

Drifting icebergs are common in the region this time of year, when summer is beginning in the Southern Hemisphere, but it is unusual to see the ice drifting so far north of Antarctica, said Beatriz Alonso, a glacial specialist with the Argentine navy.

The largest reported iceberg was about 130 miles offshore, but it was drifting slowly and not expected to reach the Argentine coast.

The Argentine navy located the six other icebergs, which apparently broke away from Antarctic ice shelves hundreds of miles to the south.