Surreal ice sculptures and Ojos del Salado volcano Chile

by James Brunker

Title

Surreal ice sculptures and Ojos del Salado volcano Chile

Artist

James Brunker

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Some wonderful natural ice sculptures and formations called penitentes in a snowfield on the flanks of the Ojos del Salado volcano, which is in the background. At 6893m / 22,615ft it is the world's highest volcano and the 2nd highest peak in the Andes Mountains and Americas. The volcano lies in a remote region on the Chile Argentina border in the Puna de Atacama, a vast high altitude volcanic desert plateau in the central Andes shared by Chile and Argentina. Snowfields in the region are often full of penitentes or snow / ice spikes and other, sometimes unusual, shapes and formations. The penitentes are formed by process of differential ablation - a combination of a dew point that is often below freezing and the very dry conditions and high solar radiation levels means that the snow sublimates (goes straight from a solid to gaseous state without forming a liquid). Hollows and cracks (which are darker) absorb much more solar radiation and expand quickly downwards between the spikes, which lose mass much more slowly. Winds can also help erode the icy spikes into some beautiful formations. Most of the very limited fresh water in the Puna comes from snowfalls and compacted snowfields; the region has historically been so arid that there are very few glaciers and little evidence of glaciation in the past.

Photograph © James Brunker. Reproduction, publication, transmission or use in any form without written permission prohibited.

Uploaded

August 15th, 2023

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