A Disappearing Act in the Rainforest
The Queulat Hanging Glacier, or Ventisquero Colgante, is a relic of a past ice age, located on a rock face within the Patagonian Andes. This type of glacier originates high on a mountain wall and terminates before reaching the valley floor. The glacier sits on the Queulat ice cap, an 80-square-kilometer ice field. Its meltwater creates the Cascada de Ventisquero Colgante, a waterfall with an estimated drop of 549-600 meters, making it one of the tallest in South America.
The glacier exists within the Valdivian temperate rainforest, an ecosystem that receives up to 4,000 millimeters of rain annually. This environment supports a dense forest of coihue, tepa, and other evergreen species right up to the glacier's edge. The sounds of ice calving from the glacier and crashing below are a frequent occurrence for visitors. The meltwater, full of fine sediment from eroded rock, flows into Laguna Témpanos (Iceberg Lagoon). This sediment, known as glacial flour, stays suspended in the water, scattering sunlight and giving the lake a milky turquoise color.
A Record of Rapid Retreat
When first documented by explorer Captain Enrique Simpson in 1875, the glacier's edge was just 100 meters from the seashore. Today, it is approximately 8 kilometers away. This immense retreat provides a record of regional climate shifts. While the hook's 50 meters per year is a compelling figure, documented retreat rates for glaciers in the Queulat complex show sustained, rapid loss. The nearby Rosselot Glacier, part of the same ice cap, retreated an average of 65 meters per year between 1987 and 2016.
This retreat is a direct consequence of rising temperatures. The entire Queulat glacier complex is shrinking, with one study noting a 25% total area loss for glaciers in the region between 1985 and 2011. As the Queulat Hanging Glacier melts, it loses mass but also reveals more of the sheer rock cliff it rests upon, changing the landscape permanently. The glacier's ongoing disappearance shows environmental change in Patagonia.