We will briefly approach the characteristics of this little-known glacier that is located at the end of the great island Tierra del Fuego. Also, we will mention the vegetation that surrounds it.
The Nueva Zelanda glacier corresponds to what would be called a valley glacier. It’s located in the Darwin Mountain Range, specifically in the Parry Fiord, and is one of the more than 26 thousand glaciers in Chile. This glacier has 15.15 km2 and is adjacent to other unnamed glaciers, being close to the Darwin A-B-C glaciers. It has a tongue that descends from the mountain, which ends at the foot of the glacier and forms a proglacial lagoon that is enclosed by an ancient deposit of rocky sediments in the melt zone of the glacier, also known in glaciology as frontal moraine, which is already covered with a huge vegetation.
The rocky sediments in the photograph correspond to the lateral moraine of the Nueva Zelanda glacier / ©Erasmo Cifuentes.
Old frontal moraine and drain of the proglacial lagoon / ©Erasmo Cifuentes.
To reach it, it’s necessary to sail from Caleta María through the Almirantazgo Fjord for a few hours and then hike through the vegetation and the old moraines of this glacier that can be seen timidly from the fiord.
This glacier corresponds to one of the many massifs of which both scientific and tourist information is scarce. This is possibly because it’s located in a very remote area such as the Cordillera de Darwin, besides it is only one of the 26 thousand registered in Chile. It’s of special interest that although it’s known by locals and tour operators in the area, it has no toponymy (name) in the inventory of glaciers made by the General Water Directorate (DGA in Spanish). This case is repeated in most of the glaciers in this mountain range, which don’t have a name, contributing to their anonymity.
©Erasmo Cifuentes.
@katarukinka.
History through vegetation colonization
Although glaciological studies are scarce, there are approaches of vegetational studies related to vegetational colonization after glacial retreat. These describe species such as the creeping shrub Murtilla (Empetrum rubrum. Among the trees, we can find species such as the Ñirre (Nothofagus antartica) and Magellanic Coihue (Nothofagus betuloides). The first would be a more efficient colonizer than the latter, being found in places closer to the glacier and in greater quantity.
©Erasmo Cifuentes.
The importance of associating vegetation colonization and the glacier lies in the fact that the vegetation corresponds to indirect evidence of past fluctuations and glacier retreat, thus providing information on the natural history of the Darwin Range and its glaciological dynamics.
Panoramic photo showing some glaciological elements of the Nueva Zelanda glacier environment such as the proglacial lagoon, frontal moraine and colonizing vegetation / @katarukinka.
The lack of information and recognition of Chilean glaciers is a worrying situation. Despite being one of the countries with the largest number of glaciers in the world, the information available is very limited. The Magallanes region is known for having some of the largest and most emblematic glaciers in Chile; however, this doesn’t mean that the rest of the country lacks important cryoforms. It’s necessary to make an effort to inventory, study, and protect these vital ecosystems for our country and the planet. The lack of recognition of Chilean glaciers only aggravates their vulnerability to climate change and other human impacts.
Highlighted image:
- Nueva Zelanda Glacier, Cordillera Darwin, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena region./ ©Erasmo Cifuentes. Location’s link
