Perito Moreno Is Cold, But Faithful

Perito Moreno is cold. He is alone. He is afloat in a world that doesn’t quite understand him. But, nonetheless, Perito Moreno focuses on maintaining himself, on being the same, old Perito Moreno we all know. Come wind and rain and depleted O-Zone and boat loads of tourists, Perito Moreno remains steadfast. This is because Perito Moreno is a glacier in Argentina, and one of the very few who have managed to withstand rising global temperatures. The 97 square mile glacier is, in fact, one of only three Patagonian glaciers to have not retreated because of global warming.

The glacier is continually fed by runoff from snow melting on the Andean Mountains so even as parts of it break off in the form of massive icebergs, it is able to maintain its size.

Perito Moreno is popular among tourists for something it does every few years. When the glacier expands enough, it manages to reach out to land touching Lake Argentina. The glacier forms a dam made of ice, which causes water in the lake to rise and push against the sides of the ice until it breaks with a loud crash:

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Argentine glacier advances despite global warming [AP]