This’ll help cool things down. The mighty glacier Perito Moreno‘s ice bridge is about to collapse. Every few years (typically 3 though it’s been as many as 16) this happens — the glacier advances enough to separate the lake into two parts, damming the water (thus building pressure) to such a point that the whole “ice bridge” collapses in dramatically. A 60 metre-high(!) section of wall already fell on the weekend, but that ain’t nothing…
Note — this has nothing to do with global warming! Perito Moreno is, in fact, the only advancing (growing) glacier in the world. In fact, it really cranks along — about 2 metres per day! I was there in 2004 (see below) but I really wish I were there now. Sure, it “calved” a little for us when we were there, but that’s small potatoes compared to what this week is sure to bring. Stay tuned!
Perito Moreno calving, Nov. 2004
UPDATE: The ice bridge finally gave way around the time I was writing this last night, i.e. around 11pm Monday night. Too bad it was dark so people couldn’t see it — but they still heard it!