Los Glaciares
National Park
The Los Glaciares National Park is located
in the Southwest of the Province of Santa Cruz, bordering with Chile.
There are 47 glaciers in the Park. Some of them are the Upsala,
Spegazzini, Mayo, Perito Moreno -all of them flowing into the Lago
Argentino (Argentino Lake)-, Onelli, Ameghino and Frías. The Argentino,
Roca and Viedma lakes are also within the Park. Tourists from all
over the world come to this place attracted by the glaciers, the
outdoor activities and the fauna.
The first settlers were the AoniKenk -actually known as "tehuelches".
They used to hunt guanacos and pick roots, seeds and herbs for food.
The first sailors to arrive in these lands were Fitz Roy and Darwin.
They came on the "Beagle". From that moment on, Luis Piedrabuena,
Gardiner, Feilberg and Francisco Moreno visited the area.
The climate is cold and winds reach a speed of 120 km/h (75 miles
per hour) during the spring and the summer. Therefore, it is important
to be extremely careful when going along the local routes, as they
are made of rubble and the snow and the ice sometimes become a big
problem. Within the park, lenga is the most common tree as it is
also in southern Argentina, where it rains quite frequently. Other
species include:
-
The notro or ciruelillo has red flowers which
give a special color to the woods during the spring and the summer;
-
The cohiues de Magallanes or morello cherry trees,
more common towards the west. It has perennial leaves and may
reach a height of 30 meters (100 feet);
-
Cinnamon trees, cypresses, poplars and willows
-
Violet arvejillas and yellow and white orchids.
The calafate, of course, is widespread in the area. It is a thorny
tree bearing a delicious blue fruit that is consumed in its natural
state or in jams. While going across the National Park, it is common
to see animals escaping from visitors: gray and red foxes, guanacos,
cinnamon colored camelidae, fast hares, skunks, piches -sometimes
known as armadillos-, deers and cougars.
The local fauna also includes condors, eagles, caranchos, chimangos
and ostriches, as well as beautiful black-necked swans and pink flamingoes.
The Glaciers
The continental ice layer has a total surface of 17.000 km2 (10,565
square miles). It is a giant mass of ice that in some places turns into
countless glaciers. The northern section is located in Chile and the
southern section is shared between Argentina and Chile. The best known
and most easily accessed are the Moreno and Upsala, in Argentina, and
the San Rafael, in Chile.
The Perito Moreno Glacier
Located
in the province of Santa Cruz, it is one of the most significant natural
attractions of Argentina with 30km (20 miles) long and a total surface
of 257 km2 (160 square miles). The astonishing magnitude of this mass
of ice, which seems to float on lake Argentino some 70 meters (230 feet)
above the water surface.
The waters of the lake are very cold and have a special color due to
the mineral particles coming from the friction of the glacier against
the rocky bed. You can reach
the glacier on foot, walking along footbridges and viewpoints. By
the way, you can get close enough to actually feel the coldness it radiates.
Boats sail across the Brazo Rico (Rico Branch) and get quite
close to the glacier wall. The excursion includes two-hour trekking
on the ice wearing special shoes. You can also go for longer walks up
to the Cascada del Río Moreno (Moreno River Cascade).
Other options include a visit to a farm or fishing in the Lago
Argentino (Argentino Lake). In this case, it is necessary to obtain
a permit from the Oficina de Parques Nacionales (National Parks
Administration): Avenida
Libertador 1302, El Calafate.
It is often believed that the Glacier owes its name to the fact
that it was discovered by Francisco Moreno, an Argentine naturalist
and geographer who studied the Patagonia and was an expert on boundary
issues. He never got to know the glacier. It was Lieutenant Iglesias,
the man in charge of making studies for the Instituto Hidrográfico
Argentino (Argentine Hydrographic Institute), who named the glacier
after Moreno in 1899.
The Perito Moreno Glacier Calving
The breaking-off of the Perito Moreno Glacier represents one of
the most astonishing
natural phenomena. ¿Why does the glacier break off? When reaching
the Magallanes Peninsula, the glacier obstructs the communication
between the Brazo Rico (Rico Branch) and the Canal de
los Témpanos (De los Témpanos Channel). Thus, the Brazo Rico
(Rico Branch) is sort of trapped and continues to receive rain water,
snow and ice and therefore its level rises generating pressure on
the mass of ice. Water starts to run off little by little in the
area where the ice is in contact with the land. This running water
creates a tunnel that becomes bigger and bigger until it finally
calves.
In February 1940, the first glacier break-off took place, catching
the attention of geologists and tourists ever since. Similar phenomena
took place in 1942, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1970, 1972, 1975,
1977, 1980, 1984 and the last time was on February 17, 1988. Experts
cannot anticipate if there will be a new calving in the Perito Moreno.
In some areas of El Calafate, it is possible to get documentation
and video tapes showing the glacier's last calving
The Upsala Glacier
It was named after the Swedish city which university sponsored the
first geological study of the area. The Upsala has two spits, even
though during the lake
excursion you will only get to see the west terminal spit. Each
of them is about 4km (2 ½ miles) wide. The total surface of the
glacier is 870 km2 (540 square miles) -almost 4 times the size of
the Perito Moreno- and it is 60 km (37 miles) long -twice as long
as the Perito Moreno. Boats leaving from Puerto Bandera (Bandera
Port) sail along the northern branch of the Lago Argentino (Argentino
Lake) up to the Upsala Glacier.
During the ride,
the boat passes by floating pieces of ice that color the water from
intense white to blue. The boat stops close to the opposite wall of
the glacier so visitors can see the spectacular landscape and listen
how pieces of ice break off in a deep silence. On the way back, you
will reach Bahía Onelli (Onelli Bay), where you can go on a
mini trekking to watch the Agassiz, Onelli and Bolado Glaciers.
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