Jorge Montt Glacier, Tidewater glacier in Southern Patagonian Ice Field, Chile.
Jorge Montt Glacier is a tidewater glacier flowing from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field down to sea level. The ice terminates directly in a fjord system that opens westward into the Pacific Ocean within Bernardo O'Higgins National Park.
The glacier was named after Jorge Montt, a Chilean naval officer and politician from the late nineteenth century. The naming reflects early exploration efforts in this remote part of Patagonia.
Local communities have watched the glacier shift and change across generations, making it part of their identity in this remote region. The presence of the ice shapes how people understand and move through the fjord landscape around them.
Reaching the glacier requires taking a boat from Caleta Tortel and traveling through the Patagonian fjord system, which can take several hours. Bring warm and waterproof clothing, as weather conditions change rapidly and water spray is common during boat rides.
Researchers discovered fossilized remains of Nothofagus trees here around 2010, proving that forests once grew where ice now sits. This finding reveals that the glacier once covered a much larger area than it does today.
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