The northern and southern lobes of the Patagonian icefield are what’s left of a much larger ice sheet that reached its maximum size about 18,000 years ago. a.s.l., covering valleys between the mountain chains, whose tops rise above the frozen plains. To celebrate having reached this far, we share a toast of whiskey, poured over 1,000-year-old ice plucked straight from the waters through which we cruise. The Southern Patagonian Ice Field (SPIF) has an area of 13,000 km2, extending from the Jorge Montt glacier on the north and the Torres del Paine in the south, with more than 80% owned by Chile and the rest to Argentina. With an area of 13,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles), the ice field is the largest temperate ice sheet in the Southern Hemisphere. This grand panorama of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field was photographed by a crew member aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on a rare clear day in the southern Andes Mountains. The Southern Patagonian Ice Field is the second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field. Southern Patagonian Ice Field (Lat 48°15' to 51°30'S.) The Southern Patagonian Ice Field (Spanish: Hielo Continental or Campo de Hielo Sur), located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Chile and Argentina, is the world's second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field. Río Pascua, the 50-km-long outlet of Lago San Martín/O'Higgins (see northeast corner of fig. Answer 1 of 2: I will be in the El Chalten-El Calafate area, and I was wondering if there is a relatively short trek (1 or 2 days, as I don't have too much time) in which it's possible to see the Patagonian Southern Ice Field… Here we trek up the glacier until nearing the Marconi pass – entrance to the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. But rapid change is ongoing. After lunch we decamp and snowshoe west, down a low gradient ramp to a heavily crevassed field … It is the larger of two remnant parts of the Patagonian Ice Sheet. The Southern Patagonian Ice Field (Spanish: Hielos Continentales or Campo de Hielo Sur), located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Argentina and Chile, is the world’s second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field. The ice cap opens up to us in the west, and with clear skies we can see all the way to the coast – ice bergs floating in Laguna San Rafael (our exit). The Northern Patagonian Ice Field covers an area of 4,200 km2 and includes the famous San Rafael Glacier and Mount San Valentín. It is the bigger of two remnant parts of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, which covered all of southern Chile during the last glacial period, locally called the Llanquihue glaciation. Hiking distance: 50 miles Elevation gain: 3000 ft Group Size: 2 to 10. The climb in altitude today is approximately 800 meters over moraine and glacial terrain, and given the shape and orientation of the valley, the winds experienced can be very severe. This will surely be the Expedition’s toughest day. Though just a fraction of their previous size, the modern icefields remain the largest expanse of ice in the Southern Hemisphere outside of Antarctica. The Patagonian ice cap is the largest non polar ice on earth, and the third glacier mass in size after Antartica and Greenland. 29), has no name on ONC T-18, in spite of its important discharge (510 m3 s-1).South of Lago San Martín/O'Higgins and Fiordo Calén (top center of fig. Stretching over 217mi (350km) along much of the southern stretch of Chile and Argentina, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field is the world's second-largest outside the polar regions. It has an average height of 4500ft. We return to camp for a spot of lunch.