The Perito Moreno Glacier ice bridge in Patagonia collapsed last night at 3.45 am! The spectacular show was witnessed only by the stars this time around, much to the disappointment of hundreds of tourists and press who were camping out hoping to catch the show.
The Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina´s Patagonia Glacier National Park is one of the biggest and most impressive in the world. The glacier wall, at around 5km long and 200 feet high, is a truly breathtaking sight and visitors can see it from land, by boat and even by hiking across it.
Now for the science part – the glacier flows into Lake Argentino right at its narrowest point between two branches of the lake. As the ice advances it eventually reaches the headland forming a barrier between the two sections of the lake. As the ice melts the water level in each of the two sections of the lake changes dramatically and the pressure builds. Eventually the warmer water will break through and form an underwater tunnel between the two lakes which gradually expands to form a bridge. When the ice bridge comes down, the sight and sound of huge chunks of ice crashing into the water below is well worth camping out all night for.
Visit our Facebook page to see a video of the ice bridge collapsing in 2008
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