Glaciers covered the Andean region, and part of the Patagonian steppe during the Ice Ages that took place over the past 2 million years. The remaining Ice Field are minute in comparison to the ice sheets that the first natives, the Paleo-Indians encountered when they reached the area around 20,000 years ago.
I found an Excellent interactive map online (see it online here) ) that shows how the ice fields evolved as they melted, the glacial lakes they formed, and how the Patagonian coasline changed as sea levels rose. Below are two still from the animated map showing the panorama 35 and 15 kya.
It is interesting to point out that the Patagonian sea shelf covered a vast aerea (now submerged) covering around 180,000 km2 (70,000 sq. mi.). Sea levels were roughtly 120 m (395 ft) lower than current levels, and the shelf would have been on average, 170 km wide (110 mi.) This was a unique ecological niche for the first Patagonians to hunt, gather, and live on. The megafauna and forests would have extended eastwards along what is now the steppe region more in this paper).
The Ice Fields nowadays
Below are some pictures of the remaining Ice Fields. The Southern Ice Field ranks third globally in size after the Antarctic and Greenland. But, declining due to climate change.
Patagonian Monsters - Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia Copyright 2009-2025 by Austin Whittall ©
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