The Perito Moreno Glacier ends in a wall of ice about 60-70 m tall and about 5 km wide, calving straight into Lago Argentino. Toggle the crevasse bands to see the fractured ice near the front, and the ice-dam marker to see where the glacier's snout can touch the far shore.
Published figures: length about 30 km; area about 250 sq km; terminus (ice-face) width about 5 km where it meets Lago Argentino; ice-face height above the water about 60-70 m; one of the few glaciers worldwide considered relatively stable rather than retreating.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Perito Moreno Glacier 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows the Perito Moreno Glacier as a cross-section: the ice flowing down a mountain valley, a band of crevasses that thickens near the front, and the calving wall where the glacier meets Lago Argentino in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentine Patagonia.
Perito Moreno is unusual among the world's glaciers: while most glaciers are retreating, this one is commonly cited as relatively stable, still advancing far enough to reach the far shore (the Peninsula de Magallanes) and block the Brazo Rico arm of the lake. When that happens, water backs up behind the ice dam until it eventually breaches under or through the ice in a dramatic collapse - an event locally called a "rupture", documented repeatedly over the decades though its timing is irregular.
- Toggle crevasse bands to see the fractured ice near the calving front
- Toggle the ice-dam marker to see where the glacier's snout can touch the far shore
- Read length, area, ice-face height, and terminus width in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | about 30 km, part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field |
| Area | about 250 sq km |
| Terminus (ice-face) width | about 5 km where it meets Lago Argentino |
| Ice-face height above water | about 60-70 m |
| Behavior | one of the few glaciers on Earth considered relatively stable rather than retreating (commonly cited) |
| Location | Los Glaciares National Park, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina - UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 |
For another slow-moving giant shaped by gravity, see the Amazon River 3D Explorer, or for the opposite ice extreme at altitude, the snow line on the Mount Everest 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - the ice surface, crevasse pattern, and vertical scale are schematic teaching cues, not survey glaciology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Perito Moreno Glacier unusual?
Most glaciers worldwide are retreating, but Perito Moreno is commonly cited as relatively stable, still advancing far enough to reach the far shore and periodically dam part of the lake.
How tall is the ice wall?
About 60-70 m above the water, across a terminus about 5 km wide where the glacier meets Lago Argentino.
What is the ice-dam "rupture"?
When the advancing glacier touches the Peninsula de Magallanes, it can block the Brazo Rico arm of the lake. Water backs up until it eventually breaches through or under the ice in a dramatic collapse - documented repeatedly, though the timing is irregular.
Where is the Perito Moreno Glacier?
In Los Glaciares National Park, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field - a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.
How long and how big is it?
About 30 km long with an area of about 250 sq km.
Is this a scientific ice model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the ice surface, crevasse pattern, and vertical scale are schematic teaching cues, not survey glaciology.