Argentina
Perito Moreno Glacier
Welcome to Argentina! The Perito Moreno Glacier is a massive wall of ice in the mountains of Patagonia, slowly creeping forward and sometimes cracking apart with a thunderous roar.
Why is it special?
It is one of the few glaciers in the world that has stayed fairly balanced in size for a long time, instead of shrinking away like most glaciers on Earth.
Visitors can walk on boardwalks right in front of the towering ice wall and watch huge chunks break off into the lake below.
How was it formed?
The glacier formed over thousands of years as heavy snow piled up in the mountains and packed down into thick, solid ice.
It flows very slowly downhill like a frozen river, squeezed between mountains until it reaches Lake Argentino.
Amazing facts
The glacier is about 19 miles (30 kilometers) long and its ice wall stands as tall as a 20-story building above the water.
Huge chunks of ice regularly break off the front of the glacier and crash into the lake in a dramatic event called calving.
Quick facts
- The glacier is about 19 miles (30 kilometers) long and its ice wall stands as tall as a 20-story building above the water.
- Huge chunks of ice regularly break off the front of the glacier and crash into the lake in a dramatic event called calving.
- It is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, one of the largest masses of ice outside Antarctica and Greenland.
- The glacier is named after Francisco Moreno, an Argentine explorer who studied the region long ago.