Tourist captures dramatic ice bridge collapse

[The Straight Story]

Visitors to the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina were able to record the moment a huge ice bridge gave way.


Video:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9867078/Tourist-captures-dramatic-ice-bridge-collapse.html

[Go Vols]

1. Very cool

[oldandhappy]

2. wow

Amazing what we are able to see thanks to technology. That was beautiful.

[progressoid]

3. Apparently this happens every few years.

Rupture

Pressures from the weight of the ice slowly pushes the glacier over the southern arm ("Brazo Rico&quot of "Lago Argentino" ("Lake Argentina&quot damming the section and separating it from the rest of the lake. With no outlet, the water-level on the "Brazo Rico" side of the lake can rise by as much as 30 meters above the level of the main body of Lake Argentina. Periodically, the pressure produced by the height of the dammed water breaks through the ice barrier causing a spectacular rupture, sending a massive outpouring of water from the Brazo Rico section to the main body of Lake Argentina. As the water exits Brazo Rico, the scored shoreline is exposed, showing evidence of the height of the water build-up. This dam–ice-bridge–rupture cycle recurs naturally between once a year to less than once a decade.

The last rupture occurred in June 19th, 2012 and previously in 2012, 2008, 2006, 2004, 1988, 1986, 1980, 1977, 1975, 1972, 1970, 1966, 1963, 1960, 1956, 1953, 1952, 1947, 1940, 1934 and 1917.[3] It ruptures, on average, about every four to five years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno_Glacier