San Quintín Glacier facts for kids
The San Quintín Glacier is the biggest glacier that flows out from the Northern Patagonian Ice Field in southern Chile. A glacier is like a huge river of ice that moves very slowly. This glacier's end, called its terminus, is a wide, flat area of ice (a piedmont lobe) that almost reaches the Gulf of Penas in the Pacific Ocean. It's located just north of 47°S latitude.
Why is San Quintín Glacier Important?
The San Quintín Glacier is special because it's the largest glacier flowing out of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Studying it helps scientists understand how glaciers are changing around the world. It's a key part of the natural landscape in this part of Chile.
How the Glacier is Changing
Just like many glaciers across the world, the San Quintín Glacier has been getting smaller and moving back quickly. This has been happening throughout the 1900s and continues today. Scientists call this "retreating."
You can see how much the glacier has changed by looking at pictures taken by astronauts. For example, two photos taken only seven years apart show a clear difference. The first picture was taken in October 1994, and the second was taken in February 2002. The glacier looks much smaller in the later photo.
Another animation shows both the San Rafael Glacier and the San Quintín Glacier changing between 1990 and 2000. Both of these huge glaciers have been retreating very fast in recent years. This is a big concern for scientists who study Earth's climate.
See also
- List of glaciers
