Glacier Perito Moreno by junge1
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Description
The Glacier Perito Moreno is located in the Los Glaciares National Park, situated in Southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is one of the most visited tourist sites in Argentina. The 97 sq mi (250 sq km) glacier is 19 miles (30 km) in length, and is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields located in the Andes shared with Chile. The ice field is the world's third largest reservoir of fresh water.
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is growing. The glacier is the biggest moving glacier of the planet, moving 6.5-ft (2 m) per day. The terminus of Perito Moreno Glacier is 3 miles (5 km) wide, with an average height of 240-ft (74 m) above the surface of the water of Lago Argentino. It has a total ice depth of 558-ft (170 m) (Sources: Lonely Planet Argentina, 1996: Wikipedia).
Pressure from the weight of the ice slowly pushes the glacier over the Southern Arm (Brazo Rico) of Lago Argentino, damming the upper section and separating it from the rest of the lake, causing a rise in the water level of the upper part. When that water level rises to about 100-ft (~30 m) over the water level of the lower part of the lake, the weight of the dammed water overcomes the weight of the blocking glacier and causes the ice to give. This occurs about every four years or so and is a spectacular sight. The last such brake occurred this year, on 10 March 2016.
On the day of my visit, despite the fact is was just about the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the weather was blustery with occasional snow flurries and blustery winds. What surprised me was the noise the moving ice mass was making. Frequent cracks similar to rifle shots.
This picture was taken on 19 December 2003, Sig...
Comments (18)
starship64
Beautiful shot!
giulband
Marvelous capture !!
UteBigSmile
soffy
Awesome view and capture of this impressive Glacier *****
farmerC
Exellent done.
prutzworks Online Now!
very impressive vista! & thanks for info
Faemike55
impressive! great capture and information
durleybeachbum
So interesting to read this and to see this fascinating photo.
alida
magnificent view.colors help to feel emotions
MrsRatbag
I would so love to see these in person; what a beautiful hunk of ice!
Juliette.Gribnau
this is so impressive
ontar1
That is beautiful!
Desgar
Amazing shot and info.
KarmaSong
How majestic and mesmerizing ! A real beauty that you 've captured here , Sig! Thanks a million for sharing and the precious info about this colossal glacier.
SunriseGirl
It is nice to know that somewhere in the world there is still a growing glacier. In Switzerland they are all shrinking as also in many other places. I bet This was very impressive to see and hear. The photo is quite impressive itself, but your description makes me realize this is one of those places that just cannot be adequately shown in a single photo. It is something to have experienced such a place. Thank you for sharing this photo and info and giving us a glimmer of the majesty and power of nature that you experienced.
Richardphotos
the is a superb capture and thanks for posting this. I have not yet been next to a glacier, well except for an ex-wife!!
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God bless.
flavia49
stunning