Patagonia Glacier

There are more Patagonia Glacier Photos lower down this page.
Click on any image to move to the next page, walking on the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia, seen from the 'balconies' on a cloudy day.

The Perito Moreno glacier is, unusually, constantly advancing at a rate of about two metres a day, but never makes any progress because as it expands at this point where the valley opens out, so frontal chunks drop off constantly, calving into Lake Argentino. This provides spectators with plenty of cracking sound effects to go with the occasional sudden splash that desperate camera-huggers are rarely in time to catch. Calving, by the way, is not accelerated by warm weather or rain, it is solely due to advancing glacier spreading out.
Supplied by the Andean ice cap, this glacier is 30 km long, 5 km wide, about 50m high [to the waterline] with another 50-120m below the surface, grinding along the valley floor.
While the centre moves at 2m per day the edges are slowed by increased friction to 1.5m a day.
p.s. Amazingly, in spite of the cold, summertime mosquitoes are big and bouncy and protection will be needed.

The Perito Moreno glacier 'calving', in other words massive chunks slipping off the front of the glacier - with plenty of sound effects - into Lake Argentino. Recently extreme surfers have taken to riding these sudden, ice-packed glacier waves, but not Perito Moreno's, yet.

Getting a look at the Perito Moreno glacier from a watery perspective is worthwhile as the viewing angles are interstingly different and boats get closer to the glacier than balconies.

Information: Argentina Travel Guide | Argentina Map | Argentina Tours

Pictures: Buenos Aires | Iguazu Falls | Ushuaia | El Chalten Pictures