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Southern Patagonian Ice Field
The Southern Patagonian Ice Field (), 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 Patagonian Ice Sheet, which covered all of southern Chile during the last glacial period, locally called the Llanquihue glaciation. Geography The Southern Patagonian Ice Field extends from parallels 48° 15′ S to 51° 30′ S for approximately , and has an approximate area of , of which belong to Chile and belong to Argentina. The ice mass feeds dozens of glaciers in the area, among which are the Upsala (), Viedma () and Perito Moreno () in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, and the Pío XI Glacier or Bruggen Glacier (, the largest in area and longest in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica), O'Higgins (), Grey () and Tyndall () in Chile. The glaciers going to the west flow into the fjords of the Patagonian chan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ice Field
An ice field (also spelled icefield) is a mass of interconnected valley glaciers (also called mountain glaciers or alpine glaciers) on a mountain mass with protruding rock ridges or summits. They are often found in the colder climates and higher altitudes of the world where there is sufficient precipitation for them to form. The higher peaks of the underlying mountain rock that protrude through the icefields are known as nunataks. Ice fields are larger than alpine glaciers, but smaller than ice caps and ice sheets. The topography of ice fields is determined by the shape of the surrounding landforms, while ice caps have their own forms overriding underlying shapes. Formation Ice fields are formed by a large accumulation of snow which, through years of compression and freezing, turns into ice. Because of the susceptibility of ice to gravity, ice fields usually form over large areas that are basins or atop plateaus, thus allowing a continuum of ice to form over the landscape unint ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lautaro Volcano
Lautaro is an active subglacial stratovolcano located in Chilean Patagonia, in the northern part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Its summit rises roughly above the average surface of the ice cap plateau. Geography and geomorphology Lautaro is located within the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and is the highest summit in its area. Bad weather and remote location make the volcano difficult to access. The existence of a volcano at Lautaro was recognized in 1879, but it was identified as Lautaro only in 1961. The volcano was named in 1952; it was originally named "volcán de Los Gigantes" and sometimes confused with the neighbouring non-volcano Cerro FitzRoy. The volcano is a composite volcano and a stratovolcano covered with glaciers. Its elevation is variously given as , or . It rises about above the surrounding ice, and bears traces of glacial erosion. The edifice covers an area of about and about 90% of it is covered with ice. It has a parasitic vent on the wester ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torres Del Paine National Park
Torres del Paine National Park () is a national park encompassing mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the park's centerpiece. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. The park is located north of Puerto Natales and north of Punta Arenas. The park borders Bernardo O'Higgins National Park to the west and the Los Glaciares National Park to the north in Argentine territory. ''Paine'' means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language and is pronounced ''PIE-neh''. It was established as a National Park in 1959. Torres del Paine National Park is part of the ''Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas del Estado de Chile'' (National System of Protected Forested Areas of Chile). In 2013, it measured approximately . It is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile. The park averages around 252,000 visitors a year, of which 54% are foreign touri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernardo O'Higgins National Park
Bernardo O'Higgins National Park () is the largest of the protected areas in Chile, covering an area of , in both the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region, Aysén and Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena regions. Management of this and other national parks in Chile is entrusted to the ''National Forest Corporation (Chile), Corporación Nacional Forestal'' (CONAF). The park is named after General Bernardo O'Higgins, the first head of state of the Republic of Chile. Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina) and Torres del Paine National Park are its neighbours to the east, Laguna San Rafael National Park is located to the north, the Alacalufes National Reserve to the southwest, and the Katalalixar National Reserve to the northwest. History The earliest occupants of the area were the Alacalufe people, Alacaluf people. In 1830, the then-Captain Phillip Parker King on board HMS Beagle, HMS ''Beagle'' visited the Eyre Fjord. In June ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for separating the New World of the Americas (North America and South America) from the Old World of Afro-Eurasia (Africa, Asia, and Europe). Through its separation of Afro-Eurasia from the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean has played a central role in the development of human society, globalization, and the histories of many nations. While the Norse colonization of North America, Norse were the first known humans to cross the Atlantic, it was the expedition of Christopher Columbus in 1492 that proved to be the most consequential. Columbus's expedition ushered in an Age of Discovery, age of exploration and colonization of the Americas by European powers, most notably Portuguese Empire, Portugal, Spanish Empire, Sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santa Cruz River (Argentina)
Santa Cruz River () is a river in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz begins at the shore of the Viedma and Argentino Lakes, of glacial origin and located in the Los Glaciares National Park, and runs eastwards before reaching the Atlantic Coast, north of the southern tip of South America, creating a delta. It is one of the last large free-flowing rivers in Patagonia. Dams The river has an important flow of on average, and is used for irrigation. Two dams are planned for the river, the Jorge Cepernic and Nestor Kirchner Dams. They will have a combined installed capacity of 1,740 MW. Contracts to construct the dams were awarded to a consortium of Chinese and domestic companies in August 2013. It is estimated that the dams will destroy over half of the Santa Cruz River ecosystem. History Santa Cruz River was discovered by Europeans during Magellan's circumnavigation of the Earth, by Juan Serrano, captain of the ''Santiago'', one of the ships of the Mage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Argentino
Lago Argentino is a lake in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, at . It is the largest freshwater lake in Argentina, with a surface area of and a maximum width of . The lake's waters have an average depth of , with a maximum depth of . The deepest point of the lake is situated in the end of its narrow north-northwestern arm, in front of the retreating Upsala Glacier. This depth was discovered during a survey in 2001. The south-southwestern arm ends in front of the Perito Moreno Glacier. The glaciers debouche into the lake at these sites, making "trenches" in the bedrock. The lake reaches an astonishing below mean sea level. Lago Argentino lies within Los Glaciares National Park in a landscape accented by numerous glaciers, and the lakes of the area are fed by the glacial meltwater of several rivers. For example, the waters of Lake Viedma are fed by the La Leona River, and many other smaller mountain streams. Lago Argentino's drainage basin amounts to more than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Viedma
Viedma Lake (, ) is a Patagonian lake in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, situated near its border with Chile. Measuring approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) in length, it is a major elongated trough lake formed from melting glacial ice. Viedma Lake is the second largest perennial lake located entirely within Argentina."Principal Lagos de la Republica Argentina", http://www.ign.gob.ar/NuestrasActividades/Geografia/DatosArgentina/Lagos, accessed 20 Jul 2018. Note that this list does not include an area figure for the large but seasonal Mar Chiquita. The name of the lake comes from the Spanish explorer Antonio de Viedma, who in 1783 reached its shores, being the first European to do so. The town of El Chaltén and the Andes peaks Cerro Torre and Fitz-Roy lie in the proximity of Lake Viedma. Lake Viedma is fed primarily by the Viedma Glacier at its western end. The Viedma Glacier measures 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide at its terminus at Lake Viedma. The brown landscape i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continents of Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east. At in area (as defined with a southern Antarctic border), the Pacific Ocean is the largest division of the World Ocean and the hydrosphere and covers approximately 46% of Earth's water surface and about 32% of the planet's total surface area, larger than its entire land area ().Pacific Ocean . ''Encyclopædia Britannica, Britannica Concise.'' 2008: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The centers of both the Land and water hemispheres, water hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere, as well as the Pole of inaccessi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fjords
In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the northern and southern hemispheres. Norway's coastline is estimated to be long with its nearly 1,200 fjords, but only long excluding the fjords. Formation A true fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by ice segregation and abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. According to the standard model, glaciers formed in pre-glacial valleys with a gently sloping valley floor. The work of the glacier then left an overdeepened U-shaped valley that ends abruptly at a valley or trough end. Such valleys are fjords when flooded by the ocean. Thresholds above sea level create freshwater lakes. Glacial melting is accompanied by the rebounding of Earth's crust as the ice load and eroded sediment is removed (also called isostasy or glacia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tyndall Glacier (Chile)
Tyndall Glacier or Geike Glacier is one of the largest glaciers in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. It is located in the Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. The glacier has its main calving front in Geikie Lake and like its neighbor, Grey Glacier, it has been significantly retreating for the last years. The glacier is named after the Irish glaciologist John Tyndall. References Tyndall Glacierat the NASA Earth Observatory NASA Earth Observatory is an online publishing outlet for NASA which was created in 1999. It is the principal source of satellite imagery and other scientific information about the climate and the environment which are being provided by NASA for ... Glaciers of Magallanes Region Torres del Paine National Park {{MagellanAntarctic-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
