Today's sailing took us North West along the Beagle Channel and through a valley of Glaciers into Pia Fjord. Once again using the zodiacs to make a landing, this time on a small island in front of Pia Glacier.
Wulaia to Pia Glacier
Although we now must have seen over 20 Glaciers in the last few weeks they have not lost their magic. Each one unique in its shape, size and color.
One of the most interesting aspects for me is the Blue Ice in the Glacier, so im sure as like me you are interested to find out why its blue. Glacial ice often appears blue when it has become very dense. Years of compression gradually make the ice denser over time, forcing out the tiny air pockets between crystals. When glacier ice becomes extremely dense, the ice absorbs all other colors in the spectrum and reflects primarily blue, which is what we see. In areas of the glacier where the ice has a lot of air bubbles that have not yet been compacted it is white as the full light spectrum can pass through.
Views of the Glaciers along the Beagle Channel
The Pia Glacier
Now this is the interesting bit, if you took a very blue piece of Glacier Ice and added it to your drink, the pressure of the air escaping as the ice melted could break the glass. Im not sure if this is myth of not ;-) This didn´t seem to concern the ships bar staff who regulary refreshed their ice supplies with the stuff every day.
Highlights: The Pia Glacier
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