4 November 2017:
Laguna San Rafael, Chile:
Where Glacier Meets the Sea

By Corey Sandler

Early Saturday morning we sailed into Laguna San Rafael, formed by the retreat of the substantial San Rafael Glacier.

We made our approach during the night and early morning along a 16-kilometer or 10-mile-long fjord.

The fjord is part of the huge Laguna San Rafael National Park of 17,420 square kilometers or 6,726 square miles.

The Northern Patagonian Ice Field is a vestige of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, an extensive ice sheet that covered all of Chilean Patagonia and the westernmost parts of Argentine Patagonia during the quaternary glaciations, the most recent of five ice ages identified in the history of the earth.

Northern Patagonia Ice Field

Quaternary glaciations began about 2.5 million years ago and exist until today.

Today, its glaciers are largely in retreat, but still cover 4,200 square kilometers or 1,600 square miles.

The ice field has survived because of elevation, as much as 1,500 meters or 4,900 feet, and a cool, moist, marine climate.

The ice field has 28 exit glaciers, the largest two—San Quintin and San Rafael—nearly reach sea level.

Laguna San Rafael. Photo by Corey Sandler
Laguna San Rafael. Photo by Corey Sandler

All photos and text Copyright 2017 by Corey Sandler, all rights reserved.

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