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Patagonia Argentina

The Glaciers National Park

The National Park “The Glaciers” is characterized to embrace an area with very varied climatic and scenic changes, profound and unique in the world.

Beginning from the high mountain until the patagonic steppe, all around it constantly changes: the high summits of the southern Andean chain, always snow-covered (eternal snow), transform themselves into hills covered with typical southern forest as the heights descend; two of the biggest lakes in the continent have their source inside the park, and between both, to their left, the south field of continental ice, one of the biggest inside a continent, discarding the Antarctica. Then, the steppe that continues to the mountain range offers a special habitat for great variety of mammals and birds, and the flora variety among this so lonely landscape it is difficult to imagine.
The main attraction is its glaciers, each one with its particularities. Also exist in this uninhabited area, many samples of prehistoric rests, from rupestres paintings to animal, human and vegetable fossil rests, that are worthwhile to discover.
Definitively, the National Park The Glaciers is a unique place in the world, reason why, in the year 1981, UNESCO declares it "Patrimony of the Humanity."

Location:

The National Park takes up about 6.000 km2, and it is located to the Southwest of Santa Cruz's Province.
It occupies the sector of the nascent of the Viedma and Argentinean lakes, and a fringe to the west that contains the south field of continental ice.
The limit to the west coincides with the limit with Chile between the parallels 49°15' and 50°50' south, from the hill Fitz Roy until the hill Stokes, containing most of the south field of ice and all the glaciers that descend to the east.

Most interesting numbers

Total surface: 6.000 km2

Field of ice: 2.600 km2

Quantity of Glaciers: 47 (the most distinguished)

Moreno Glacier: 5 km. front by 60 mts. of height aprox.

Upsala Glacier: 10 km. front by 50 mts. of length

The higest hill: Fitz Roy, with 3.375 mts. of height

Last urban area: El Calafate at 80 km.

Average temperatures: 0,6ºC in winter, 13,4º in summer.

The most distinguished:
Inside the National Park there are some few glaciers that stand out, mainly because of their easy access, but also for their particular natural characteristics.

Perito Moreno Glacier

Regardless of being the most visited because it is the only one that can be seen from land, its main attractiveness are the frecuent ruptures, sometimes loosenings of little pieces of ice, sometimes of important walls.
These are owing to the front side that is at not much depth, making that the pressure that exercises with its movement opposes with the brake that it finds in its base.

When the Rupture takes place:
The phenomenon of the big ruptures is achieved when the front of the glacier succeeds in settling on Magellan's peninsula (under the area of the gangways); it forms a natural dike that makes that the water of the south arm of the Argentinean Lake, called Rich Lake, generate every time bigger pressure on the dike, because its level ascends fed by the thaw of that area. The moment in which the difference of levels of water between both parts of the lake is considerable (between 9 and 30 mts.), the dike begins to break, filtering water that undermines it, until forming a bridge between the glacier and the peninsula that finally collapses. This fact, regrettably, cannot be predicted, since the glacier doesn't have any behavior pattern detected until the moment.

The Upsala Glacier

We can acces to this glacier only by navigation, since it is in the area of the north arm of the Argentinean Lake. It’s main attractiveness is, besides its size (several times bigger than the Perito Moreno), the size of the blocks that come off of its front. They are enormous blocks, generally bigger than the crafts in which you travel around the area.

This is owing, supposedly to that its front that is to a bigger depth than the Moreno, and the water that goes in its base should be more, (it is not known with accuracy, but it is believed that its front would not be leaning on earth, but floating) having with this smaller pressure when advancing. It is almost impossible to see a rupture in this glacier, but to navigate among its floes is an unforgettable experience.

Years of Ruptures of the Glacier Moreno

1899	Observations begun to be carried out.	1952	The process of rupture repeats.
1903	The front reaches the 750 mts from the peninsula.	1953	The process of rupture repeats.
1908	The front reaches the 350 mts from the peninsula.	1956	Breaks again.
1914	The front reaches the 100 mts from the peninsula.	1966	Breaks again.
1917	Reaches the coast forming the dike.	1970	Breaks again.
1928	It moves back at 100 mts from the coast.	1972	Breaks again.
1934/35	It forms de dike again.	1976	Breaks again.
1936	The bridge that was left from the dike breaks up.	1980	Breaks again.
1937	It advances again over the peninsula.	1984	Breaks again.
1939	The level of water of the Rich Lake rises.	1988	Breaks again.
1941	The level of water in the Rich arm is of 7,42 mts.	2003	The dike forms in October.
1942	The level of water in the Rich arm reaches the 17 mts.	2004	Breaks the 25 of March. In 2006 it broke again.

Source:
Administration of the National Park the Glaciers,
Manual of the Argentinean Lake. Miguel Ángel Alonso.

Information obtained in:
www.calafate.com

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