Glacier Perito Moreno

This glacier is huge, massive, and it is still advancing (one of the few advancing glaciers in the world). It is advancing straight into this lake, but the lake is fighting back, and this struggle between the two provides the spectacle that many people come to watch. Every once in a while a massive chunk of the glacier falls into the lake, creating a loud and big splash of water. I was lucky to see a big one when I got there in the morning, but after that for the rest of the day it was all small chips of the glacier falling off, nothing too spectacular. There was a few big collapses un the far side away from the view points, the problem with those is that the speed of sound is limited, and by the time you hear the splash most of the action is already over.

The glacier has split the lake in two parts at a narrow passage. The big spectacle occurs when the lake manages to break that barrier of ice and the water starts to flow again between the two parts, this takes place over a few days, one massive collapse after the other, until the barrier is completely destroyed, it is an amazing spectacle if you are lucky enough to see it. It happens every few years, the last time it happened was in 2004, now the glacier has again advanced to block the narrow passage, a tinny little stream can be seen flowing under the wall of ice, this stream will grow over time until it becomes strong enough to bring down the whole barrier again.