IANLAYZELLUK
Nature's Masterpiece. By Ian Layzell
The Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia is the only Glacier in the world that grows continually, up to 450 metres a year.
The Perito Moreno Glacier can be found in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. The park was founded in 1945 and consists of 13 Glaciers, an area which is 4,500 km. In 1981 both the glaciers and the national park were named to the UNESCO list of World Natural Heritage Sites in.
The Perito Moreno Glacier, pictured above, was named after it's discoverer. He was an Argentinean Geographer and Anthropologist named Pascasio Perito Moreno.
The Patagonian Ice Field covers the greater part of the Los Glaciares National Park and is one of the biggest in the world, second only to the Antarctic Ice Cap. The Patagonian Ice Field consists of a total area of 4,459km, a length of 350km and a width of 50 km at it's widest point. It originates in the north of the national park on the slopes of the Fitzroy Massif at a height of only 1,500 metres. The 3 main tributaries of the main glaciers, the Perito-Moreno, Uppsala and Viedma (which we also visited) all end at approximately 1,300 metres above sea level. The melted water has formed enormous lakes which have an amazing turquoise colour, from which the edges of the glacier rise like giant icebergs.
The Icy Giant rises as much as 60 metres above the water's surface but the majority of the glacier lies below the water's surface at a depth of 130 metres. We took a boat ride along the glacier's front and just could not describe in words how enormous and impressive this beauty of nature truly is. Large pieces of fractured ice frequently breaks off the edge of the glacier. However, Perito Moreno is the only glacier in the entire world which continues to advance rather than retreat.
Argentina
February 2009
Nature's Masterpiece. By Ian Layzell
The Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia is the only Glacier in the world that grows continually, up to 450 metres a year.
The Perito Moreno Glacier can be found in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. The park was founded in 1945 and consists of 13 Glaciers, an area which is 4,500 km. In 1981 both the glaciers and the national park were named to the UNESCO list of World Natural Heritage Sites in.
The Perito Moreno Glacier, pictured above, was named after it's discoverer. He was an Argentinean Geographer and Anthropologist named Pascasio Perito Moreno.
The Patagonian Ice Field covers the greater part of the Los Glaciares National Park and is one of the biggest in the world, second only to the Antarctic Ice Cap. The Patagonian Ice Field consists of a total area of 4,459km, a length of 350km and a width of 50 km at it's widest point. It originates in the north of the national park on the slopes of the Fitzroy Massif at a height of only 1,500 metres. The 3 main tributaries of the main glaciers, the Perito-Moreno, Uppsala and Viedma (which we also visited) all end at approximately 1,300 metres above sea level. The melted water has formed enormous lakes which have an amazing turquoise colour, from which the edges of the glacier rise like giant icebergs.
The Icy Giant rises as much as 60 metres above the water's surface but the majority of the glacier lies below the water's surface at a depth of 130 metres. We took a boat ride along the glacier's front and just could not describe in words how enormous and impressive this beauty of nature truly is. Large pieces of fractured ice frequently breaks off the edge of the glacier. However, Perito Moreno is the only glacier in the entire world which continues to advance rather than retreat.
Argentina
February 2009