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Snow and ice photos contributed by NSIDC staff

Glacier Calving

One of NSIDC's scientists took several photographs of Perito Moreno glacier as an iceberg was calving from the face of the glacier in February, 2001. The following images show a large pinnacle of ice calving from the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina. The calving pinnacle is most clearly visible in the center of the first photograph. The terminus of the glacier is about 150 feet high, and the photographs were taken while looking across the lake at the face of the glacier. In spite of the "slow motion" effect in these photographs, the calving actually happens quite rapidly. As the ice breaks away from the glacier face, it often makes a loud cracking or booming sound. Viewers report that if you've heard the "boom", and you start to look around, it's already too late to get a photograph.

In some of the photographs, notice how blue parts of the glacier ice appear. Years of compression make the ice so dense that it absorbs every other color of the spectrum, thus appearing blue. (Photographs courtesy of Martyn Clark)

	The ice pinnacle that is about to fall from the face of the glacier is in the center of the photograph.
	The ice pinnacle separating from the glacier.
	The ice pinnacle falling into the water.
	Impact splash made from the ice pinnacle falling from Perito Moreno Glacier.
	Ice pinnacle has finished calving from the glacier face and is completely submerged under the lake surface. (Photograph courtesy of Martyn Clark)