Huge chunk of Argentina`s glacier collapses

London: Part of the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina`s Patagonia has broken off putting on a spectacular show, a newspaper reported Monday.

The glacier, a massive chunk of ice in the Santa Cruz province that covers about 156 sq km, advances yearly into a lake, known as Lago Argentino.

As Perito Moreno moves forward, it cuts off a river feeding the lake. Water builds up pressure and slowly undermines the ice, forming a tunnel until ice comes tumbling down.

Some 2,500 tourists lined up at observation decks and cheered as the ice splashed into the water.

The phenomenon repeats itself at irregular intervals, with the last major ice falls occurring in 2008, the newspaper said.

IANS