The Northern Patagonian Ice Field, located in southern
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, is the smaller of two remnant parts in which the
Patagonian Ice Sheet
upright=1.4, Map showing the extent of the Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Strait of Magellan area during the last glacial period. Selected modern settlements are shown with yellow dots. Sea level was much lower than shown here.
The Patagonian Ice S ...
in the
Andes Mountains
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
of southern
South America can be divided. It is completely contained within the boundaries of
Laguna San Rafael National Park
Laguna San Rafael National Park () is a park located on the Pacific coast of southern Chile. The park is named for the San Rafael Lagoon formed by the retreat of the San Rafael Glacier. Created in 1959, it covers an area of and includes the Nort ...
.
Description
The Northern Patagonian Ice Field is a vestige of the
Patagonian Ice Sheet
upright=1.4, Map showing the extent of the Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Strait of Magellan area during the last glacial period. Selected modern settlements are shown with yellow dots. Sea level was much lower than shown here.
The Patagonian Ice S ...
, an extensive
ice sheet
In glaciology, an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland; during the Last Glacial Period at L ...
that covered all of Chilean
Patagonia and the westernmost parts of Argentine Patagonia during the
Quaternary glaciations. Today, with its
glaciers largely in retreat and only an area of , it is still the second largest continuous mass of ice outside of the
polar regions. Its survival depends on its elevation (), favorable terrain and a cool, moist, oceanic climate. The ice field has 28 exit glaciers, the largest two —
San Quintin and
San Rafael — nearly reach sea level to the west at the
Pacific Ocean. Smaller exit glaciers, like San Valentín and
Nef, feed numerous rivers and glacially carved lakes to the east.
Eric Shipton
Eric Earle Shipton, CBE (1 August 1907 – 28 March 1977), was an English Himalayan mountaineer.
Early years
Shipton was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. When he was eigh ...
accompanied by Spaniard Miguel Gómez and Chileans Eduardo García and Cedomir Marangunic crossed the icecap from the San Raphael Glacier into Argentina in the summer of 1963–64. In 1972/73 a Joint Services expedition led by Captain CH Agnew of Lochnaw yr, now
Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw
Sir Crispin Hamlyn Agnew of Lochnaw, 11th Baronet, (born 13 May 1944) is a Scottish advocate, herald and former explorer. He is the chief of the ancient Agnew family, and the eleventh holder of the Agnew baronetcy, created in 1629.
Agnew is th ...
, spent 5 months carrying out scientific research on and around the ice cap, including on the Benito Glacier, and three members of the expedition carried out a north-to-south crossing from the foot of
Monte San Valentín
Monte San Valentin, also known as Monte San Clemente, is the highest mountain in Chilean Patagonia and the highest mountain south of 37°S outside Antarctica. It stands at the north end of the North Patagonian Icefield.
Monte San Valentin ca ...
down to the snout of the Steffen Glacier. Martin Session, the glaciologist on the 1972/3 expedition returned to the Benito Glacier with others in 2007 and 2011 to continue his research.
The Northern Patagonian Ice Field lies in
fault-bounded crustal block that has been uplifted. To the west lies the
Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone, to the north the
Exploradores Fault Zone and to the east the
Cachet Fault Cachet Fault is a dextral strike-slip fault in Aysén Region, Chile. The fault runs in north–south direction right to the east of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Various west-east glacial valleys have been displaced the movement of the fault. T ...
. To the south there is possibly a zone of
extensional faults around
Tortel Fjord Tortel Fjord ( es, Fiordo de Tortel) is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Chile's Aysén Region. The village of Caleta Tortel is located at the head of fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or ...
.
See also
*
Southern Patagonian Ice Field
The Southern Patagonian Ice Field ( es, Hielo Continental or '), located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Chile and Argentina, is the world's second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field. It is the bigger of two remnant parts of the Pa ...
*
List of glaciers
References
*
*
External links
Northern Patagonian Ice Field, Earth
{{Authority control
Glaciers of Aysén Region
Ice fields of South America