Perito-Moreno Glacier

Perito Moreno Glacier

Perito Moreno Glacier is the only glacier in the world that is continuously growing at a rate of 450 meters per year. It is located within the Los Glaciares National Park in Patagonia, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981

Video: Perito Moreno

Highlights

When this happens, blocks of ice the size of multi-story buildings move out of place at once. The massive glacier literally explodes into the air, only to collapse with a terrifying rumble into the raging waters of the freed Lago Argentino stream. The water violently gnaws into the ice until a channel large enough to allow the excess water from the southern half of the lake to flow into the northern half is created. From there, the mass of water tends further out, toward the Atlantic Ocean. This “spectacle” of la ruptura repeats itself every four years – and each time it is stunning in its unexpectedness.

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Heading here along Brazo Rico, tourists pass over 356 major glaciers with a wide variety of icebergs of all shapes and sizes.

Tourist boats ply the icy waters of the lake, carrying tourists who wish to observe the simultaneous creation and destruction of a continent by completely natural processes. Travelers usually take the purest water away with them and drink it at a celebratory ceremony, when they will join their companions in discussing their amazing adventures in the prehistoric Arctic landscape.

Facts

• Name: Los Glaciares Glacier National Park was founded in 1945
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• Area: The 13 glaciers that make up it are spread over an area of 4,500 square kilometers
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• Uniqueness: The ice field formed here is the second largest in the world: only the area of Antarctic glaciers is larger than it.
• Origin of the name: The glacier was named after its discoverer, Argentine geographer and anthropologist Pascacio “Perito” Moreno (1852-1919).
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• UNESCO World Heritage List: Glacier National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981.
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