The Perito Moreno Glacier is located on Argentina’s largest lake, the eponymous Argentino Lake, near El Calafate in the Patagonia region. The glacier is 19 miles long and is but 1 of 48 glaciers branching off from the expansive South Patagonia Ice Field, the third largest ice field in the world. The SPIF is what remains after the entire southern part of the continent was beneath an ice cap. The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of few that’s growing. And while that means it’s still advancing forward, the glacier doesn’t actually grow because its ice face calves off under its own weight where it meets the water. The face of the glacier averages 240 ft. tall, with an impressive width of 3 miles. This photo shows the “small” side of the glacier, its east face, where it’s possible to get the closest.
