On December 11 we were driven from El Chalten to the central town of El Calafate, and thence to our hotel in Eolo, the elegant Patagonia Spirit, for the remainder of our Patagonia tour. The next morning we drove to the shore of Lago Argentina, stopping to photograph a hawk and some beautiful foliage and lichen-covered rocks along the way.
We then took a boat on Lago Argentina to the Perito Moreno Glacier, where an excellent visitor center “features a walking circuit which allows visitors to view the southern flank and the east facing edge of the glacier.” (Wikipedia)
The glacier is one of the largest in the world. According to Wikipedia:
"The glacier is unusual in that it is advancing, while most glaciers worldwide are retreating. The reason remains debated by glaciologists.The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide, with an average height of 74 m (240 ft) above the surface of the water of Argentino Lake, in Argentina. It has a total ice depth of 170 metres (558 feet)." The tour boat in the photo below gives some sense of scale.
"The glacier is unusual in that it is advancing, while most glaciers worldwide are retreating. The reason remains debated by glaciologists.The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide, with an average height of 74 m (240 ft) above the surface of the water of Argentino Lake, in Argentina. It has a total ice depth of 170 metres (558 feet)." The tour boat in the photo below gives some sense of scale.
The three photos below show the water at the edge of the glacier strewn with pieces of ice, some of them large enough to be called "icebergs", that have broken off. The third picture captures an ice fall as it happens. The cloud of spray is probably at least 100 feet high.
Finally, pictures of the boat dock and a panorama of Lago Argentina.
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