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The Perito
Moreno Glacier is a glacier located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the
south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the most important
tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia.
The 250 km² ice formation, of 30 km in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the
Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile.
This icefield is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.
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The
Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are
not retreating. Periodically the glacier advances over the L-shaped "Lago
Argentino" ("Argentine Lake") forming a natural dam which separates the
two halves of the lake when it reaches the opposite shore. With no escape
route, the water-level on the Brazo Rico side of the lake can rise by up
to 30 meters above the level of the main lake. The enormous pressure
produced by this mass of waters finally breaks the ice barrier holding it
back, in a spectacular rupture event. |
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This dam/rupture
cycle is not regular and it naturally recurs at any frequency between once a
year to less than once a decade.
The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km wide, with an average height
of 60 meters above the surface of the water, with a total ice depth of 170
meters. It advances at a speed of up to 2 m per day (around 700 m per year),
although it loses mass at approximately the same rate, meaning that aside from
small variations, its terminus has not advanced or receded in the past 90 years.
At its deepest part, the glacier has a depth of approximately 700 m.
The glacier first ruptured in 1917, taking with it an ancient forest of arrayán
(Luma apiculata) trees. The last rupture occurred in March 2006, and previously
in 2004, 1988, 1984, 1980, 1977, 1975, 1972, 1970, 1966, 1963, 1960, 1956, 1953,
1952, 1947, 1940, 1934 and 1917. It ruptures, on average, about every four to
five years.
The Perito Moreno glacier, located 78 km from El Calafate, was named after the
explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century
and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict
surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.
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