By: Noemi Gamel

I remember learning about glaciers in my fourth grade science class. I thought it was cool that they were so big and crushed mountains. Unfortunately, glaciers are hard to find in Texas, so I was never able to fully appreciate their majesty.

Fast forward a few decades. I find myself in El Calafate at the base of Perito Moreno Glacier. The Perito Moreno Glacier is an imposing river of solid ice where the Patagonian forests meets the mountains and the Canal de los Tempanos (the channel between Lago Argentino and Brazo Rico). The glacier is 5 km across and reaches heights of 74 meters (that’s 242 feet for my fellow American). It is impossible to stand before this wonder of the world and not feel somewhat insignificant.

I expected the glacier to be white, but it turns out that blue is one of the most prominent colors. Blue has the highest energy photons in the color spectrum. When sunlight hits the glacier, blue penetrates the deepest into the ice. Perhaps the feature of the glacier that struck me the most was its constant activity. As glaciers advance, the “ablation zone” ruptures and recedes. We witnessed massive chunks of ice larger then a house break off from the wall and fall into the water, causing impressive sounds to ring out over the silence of nature. The splash into the water was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

Over the years, the glacier has advanced across the channel enough to form an ice bridge upon making contact with the Peninsula Magellanes. This causes the level of the Lago Argentino to rise and its waters churn against the bridge, leading to awe inspiring ruptures. We will have to come back some day to witness this spectacular event.