Perito Moreno Glacier

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/perito-moreno-glacier

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Perito Moreno Glacier?250 km² (97 sq mi)
2. How long is Perito Moreno Glacier?30 km (19 mi)
3. What is the location?Southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, within Los Glaciares National Park
4. What is the origin?Southern Patagonian Ice Field
5. Why does the glacier sometimes block Lake Argentino?When the glacier pushes forward, it builds a natural ice bridge that holds back the lake’s water, creating a big difference in water levels on either side.
6. How does the glacier make an ice arch and then collapse?The water pressure slowly wears away the ice, forming a cave and then a big arch. When the arch is too weak, it falls apart and huge ice blocks break off into the lake.

Cryosphere: All the frozen water on Earth, including glaciers, ice sheets, and snow.
Glacial Mass Balance: The difference between the amount of snow/ice gained and the amount lost by a glacier over a year.
Hydrostatic Pressure: The pressure exerted by a fluid due to gravity.