Southern Patagonian Ice Field

Satellite photograph of a portion in the northeast of Campo de Hielo Sur, in the center of the image of the O'Higgins Glacier, one of the larger outlet glaciers. In the upper neck, the volcano is Lautaro.

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The Campo de Hielo Sur (Spanish: " Southern Ice Field ", also Campo Hielo Sur Patagónico ) is the largest glacier area of Patagonia, also the largest in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica. It is located in the Andes, partly in Chile, partly in Argentina.

The length of the glacier area, the extension in the north-south direction is 350 km, the width usually is between 30 and 40 km. The area is approximately 13,000 km ².

In 1943, the glacier area was photographed on behalf of the Chilean government with military aircraft from the air. After the area has been explored by the expeditions of Federico Reichert and Alberto de Agostini. Still have not yet been entered to date parts of the area.

The Campo de Hielo Sur is considered the largest freshwater reservoir in South America. It is also the third largest after Antarctica and Greenland.

Demarcation

Previously could not reach agreement to be found for the 60 km section of the Chile-Argentina border between the mountains Fitz Roy and El Murallón. The section of the glacier could not be measured accurately.

In 1998, President Eduardo Frei Ruiz - Tagle (Chile) and Carlos Menem (Argentina ) declared this section to a particular zone. They agreed to let Mark this zone on all maps. The zone should be framed by a rectangle and inside the frame no line should be drawn. Here is a brief explanatory note should be printed.

The Argentine Instituto Geográfico Militar in 2006 published a map without the frame without the explanatory note and with the maximum Argentine demand an official boundary line. After a diplomatic note of protest and a summit between Michelle Bachelet and Néstor Kirchner, the card has been withdrawn from circulation.

Glacier

To the Campo de Hielo Sur are numerous, partly large outlet glaciers. With the exception of two glaciers calve every major glacier at its end. The western reach while a Pacific fjord, the eastern edge of the glacier calve into lakes.

One of the biggest glaciers of the Hielo Sur de Campo include the following:

  • Pío XI Glacier, 1265 km ²
  • Viedma Glacier, 978 km ²
  • Upsala Glacier, 902 km ²
  • Perito Moreno Glacier, 258 km ²
  • Balmaceda Glacier
  • Serrano Glacier
  • Geikie Glacier
  • Grey Glacier
  • Jorge Montt Glacier

National Parks

Parts of the Campo de Hielo Sur belong to the following national parks:

  • National Park Torres del Paine, Chile
  • National Park Bernardo O'Higgins, Chile
  • Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Ice calving List of territorial disputes Northern Patagonian Ice Field
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