Glaciar Ojo del Albino, Mountain glacier in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Ojo del Albino Glacier spreads across the mountains of Sierra Alvear and displays an extensive ice surface with a lake full of floating ice blocks. At the edge of this expanse sits a visible moraine marking its past boundaries.
The glacier received its name in 1989 from a local trekking guide who chose it based on the milky white color and round shape of the lake. Over decades, the ice mass has shifted and water once flowed through different valleys before reaching its current course.
The glacier draws mountaineers and hikers who walk through Tierra del Fuego's varied mountain landscapes and experience the region's different ecosystems.
The hike takes a full day and requires sturdy footwear with good grip and waterproof gear for the damp, cold mountain environment. Visitors should prepare for steep climbs and know that weather can change quickly in the mountains.
The meltwater now feeds the nearby Laguna Esmeralda, but decades ago the glacier's water flowed in the opposite direction. This shift reveals how landscape changes have completely reshaped the flow of nature in this southern region.
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