Perito Moreno Glacier

Perito Moreno Glacier is an outlet glacier in Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park. Its advancing terminus periodically blocks Lake Argentino’s Brazo Rico, creating an ice dam that can rupture dramatically.

Glacier: A persistent mass of ice that forms on land and flows under its own weight. Perito Moreno is a valley glacier whose ice flows toward Lake Argentino.
Brazo Rico: An arm of Lake Argentino in Argentine Patagonia. Its water level rises when the glacier seals it off from the main lake.
Francisco Moreno: An Argentine explorer and naturalist who surveyed Patagonia and helped establish Argentina’s national park system. The glacier is named after this influential explorer and conservation advocate.
Glacier tourism: Travel focused on viewing glaciers and experiencing glacial landscapes. The glacier’s accessible viewing areas make it a major attraction in Argentine Patagonia.
Glacial lake outburst flood: A sudden release of water from a lake held back by ice or glacial debris. The glacier’s ice dam can fail and release water from Brazo Rico.
Glacier terminus: The lower end of a glacier, where its ice meets land, water, or another glacier. The glacier’s terminus advances into the lake and forms the recurring barrier.
Los Glaciares National Park: A protected area in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, containing major Andean glaciers and lakes. The glacier lies within this national park, which protects its surrounding landscape.
Glacier mass balance: The difference between the snow and ice a glacier gains and the amount it loses. Its changing ice supply and losses help explain how the glacier responds to climate.
Lake Argentino: A large glacial lake in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, connected to the Santa Cruz River. Its Brazo Rico arm is periodically cut off by the glacier’s advancing front.
2016 Perito Moreno Glacier rupture: A 2016 failure of the ice barrier formed by Perito Moreno Glacier, draining impounded lake water. It is a documented instance of the glacier’s recurring ice-dam collapse.

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