A “beautiful, thriving ecosystem” has emerged from the shadows after an iceberg the size of Chicago splintered off Antarctica, revealing a seafloor teeming with life. Once hidden beneath an icy ceiling,

A calving iceberg exposed a region that never before had been seen by human eyes, revealing a vibrant, thriving ecosystem

Scientists scrutinizing the seafloor beneath a calving iceberg found a remarkable array of living creatures, switching up notions of how the giant chunks of ice affect their immediate environs. The scientists investigated a region of seafloor recently exposed by the calving of a gigantic iceberg—A-84—which is as large as Chicago.

Researchers took advantage of a rare chance to explore a new expanse of seafloor exposed by the breakup of an Antarctic ice shelf.

Scientists explored the seafloor after an iceberg broke off the Antarctic ice sheet. They were shocked by what they found. Thriving ecosystems were hiding in the deep, dark waters beneath where the iceberg broke off.