A natural ice pack: Perito Moreno Glacier.
- Perito Moreno Glacier is a glacier that is found in the National Park, Los Glaciares, Argentina, in South America, and its source is the Southern Patagonian Ice Field found in the Andes Mountain system.
- Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most prominent attractions for tourists in southern South America, in the Argentine Patagonia region, and the area has vehicle access via a road.
- Perito Moreno Glacier covers an area of 250 kilometres squared (97 miles squared) and spreads to a length of 30 kilometres (19 miles).
- Perito Moreno Glacier has a total height of 170 metres (558 feet) of ice, with around 74 metres (240 feet) protruding from the water’s surface.
- Perito Moreno Glacier has ruptures, due to pressure build up from dammed water, that occur approximately every four to five years, although they can occur more or less frequently, with the most recent event on the 19 January, 2013.
Panorama
Image courtesy of Steven Newton/Flickr
- It is possible to venture onto Perito Moreno Glacier through an organised tour, with trails ranging from one and a half to five hours.
- Perito Moreno Glacier sees winds that can blow up to speeds of 130 kilometres/hour (81 miles/hour).
- Perito Moreno Glacier is a fresh water reserve, and is the third largest on earth.
- Perito Moreno Glacier is named after Argentine’s Francisco Moreno, an explorer in the late 1800s and early 1900s, who was also known as ‘Perito Moreno’, the word ‘perito’ meaning ‘expert’ or ‘specialist’, which he officially became in 1902.
- Perito Moreno Glacier acted as a natural barricade for Argentina during conflicts with the neighbouring Chile.
Bibliography:
Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier – Argentina, n.d, CASCADA Expidiciones, https://www.cascada.travel/About/Calafate-Perito-Moreno-Glacier-Argentina
Perito Moreno Glacier, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno_Glacier
