Watch Argentina Glacier Perito Moreno Break On Video In Spectacular Fashion
The Argentinian glacier Perito Moreno broke off a piece of its massive 97-square mile structure on Thursday, creating a stunning video for the world and an unforgettable visit to the major South American landmark for those lucky enough to catch it in person.
Unlike in 2012, this time around the Argentine glacier’s break was well-documented. Several tourists and reporters on scene took awe-inspiring video of Perito Moreno crumbling before their eyes.
Perito Moreno’s breakage happens, on average, every four years. The last glacier separation took place on March 4, 2012. While this particular event arrived on the dot, the natural wonder of Argentina doesn’t quite always experience the crack quite so punctually. The glacier has undergone the change as little as one year apart and as long as 16 years apart since 1934.
Though a glacier losing part of its mass might sound alarming, don’t be quick to blame climate change just yet. Perito Moreno actually sheds because it is still growing larger even as temperatures rise. When the weight of it forces it to sink, the glacier forms a dam by shoring itself up along Lake Argentina’s southern arm. As pressure builds from the newly isolated waters, a break eventually wrecks the natural structure.
Still, that’s not to say Perito Moreno’s break is common. Of the more than 50 glaciers scattered at the ends of Chile and Argentina, only two are growing — the other being Pio IX across the border. Scientists, however, have not come to a consensus on why this is happening. Their geography and topography, the depth and temperature of the surrounding water, and at what pace they react to shifts in climate may all be responsible.
In 2009, Chilean glaciologist Andrés Rivera at the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia told National Geographic that whatever was happening to Perito Moreno was out of the norm compared to other glaciers.
“What is happening … is not well understood… [but] if you account for the gains and losses of all of Patagonia’s glaciers, they are [still] losing huge amounts of ice… At the end of the day, there is not a clear, convincing result for this research. So, I am not sure why these glaciers are advancing.”
In Argentina, the breaking of Perito Moreno becomes a huge national news event whenever it happens. Below, you can watch full live coverage from local station C5N that details every advance of the glacier’s booming deconstruction.
Perito Moreno is located in the south of Argentina’s Patagonia region, an area shared with the neighboring country of Chile. It is one of the most visited spots in Latin America, offering breathtaking mountain views over fields of icy, arctic hues. Apart from the glacier being a star among the country’s tourism, the area is also known for being one of the world’s most important water sources, according to the Patagonia travel site.
“Perito Moreno is one of the many glaciers that form the Los Glaciares National Park. All form the Patagonian Continental Ice (17,000-kilometers long) which is one of the [largest] drinking water supplies in the world. In fact, 90% of the world’s freshwater is found in glacial areas. After Antarctica and Greenland, Argentina is the [next largest contributor].”
Does the Argentina glacier break video make you want to grab your passport and head to Perito Moreno to watch it for yourself in four years?
[Image via Mario Tama/Getty Images]
