Background: the Southern Patagonian Icefield (Campo de Hielo Sur) is the third largest extension of continental ice after Antarctica and Greenland. It extends for 350 km and has an area of 16800 square-km, of which 14200 square-km belong to Chile and 2600 square-km to Argentina.
Located in Los Glaciares National Park the Perito Moreno glacier is is one of forty-eight glaciers fed by the Campo de Hielo Sur. One of the earth's most active icefields it is 250 square-km, 30 km in length, and moves at a pace of up to 2 meters per day. The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km wide, with an average height of 60 meters (18 story building) above the surface of the water.
It was a beautiful blue sky day during my visit, enabling me to watch three towers of ice break off -- cracking, thundering and splashing into the water below.
Argentina
