PERITO MORENO GLACIER, Argentina – A massive chunk of ice calved from Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier, creating a stunning spectacle with a thunderous splash.
In a video captured by Ioana Patrascu on Feb. 2, a loud cracking sound occurs as powder blue ice falls off the glacier, with a deafening roar immediately following.
Patrascu said she took out her phone, expecting ice to fall. What she heard next was a “big bang and suddenly this massive chunk of ice fell to everyone’s shock.”
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According to the UNESCO World Heritage Foundation, the water level is temporarily raised when the large glacier blocks the narrow channel formed by Lake Argentino, resulting in regular thunderous ruptures of the glacier tongue into the lake.
“The vast front of the slowly and constantly moving glacier, up to 60 meters (197 feet) high, regularly calves bluish icebergs into the waters of Lake Argentino, an audiovisual spectacle attracting visitors from all over the world,” the foundation said.
The majority of the Magallanes Peninsula is designated as a Provincial Nature Reserve, which acts as a protective area surrounding the Perito Moreno Glacier.