Viedma Lake

Viedma Lake / Lago Viedma
from space, October 1994
Location	Lago Argentino Department, Santa Cruz Province (Argentina) / [disputed] Última Esperanza Province, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region (Chile)
Coordinates	49°35′S 72°30′W / 49.583°S 72.500°W / -49.583; -72.500Coordinates: 49°35′S 72°30′W / 49.583°S 72.500°W / -49.583; -72.500
Type	periglacial lake
Primary outflows	Santa Cruz River
Basin countries	Argentina, Chile
Max. length	80 km (50 mi)
Max. width	15 km (9.3 mi)
Surface area	ca. 1,088 km2 (420 sq mi)
Surface elevation	250 m (820 ft)

Viedma Lake (Spanish: Lago Viedma, Spanish pronunciation: [laɣo ˈβjeðma]), approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) long in southern Patagonia near the border between Chile and Argentina. It's a major elongated trough lake formed from melting glacial ice. Viedma Lake is the second largest lake in Argentina.^[1]

An iceberg floating in Lake Viedma.

The name of the lake comes from the Spanish explorer Antonio de Viedma, who in 1783 reached its shores, being the first European to do so.

The town of El Chaltén and the Andes peaks Cerro Torre and Fitz-Roy lie in the proximity of Lake Viedma.

Lake Viedma is fed primarily by the Viedma Glacier at its western end. The Viedma Glacier measures 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide at its terminus at Lake Viedma. The brown landscape is a result of ice scouring, which left virtually no vegetation on the steep-walled valleys.

Water from lake Viedma flows into Lake Argentino through the La Leona River, and eventually from there into the Atlantic Ocean through the Santa Cruz River.

Although most of the lake lies in Argentine territory, the western shores of the lake reach the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in an area where the border remains undefined.

See also

• Lake San Martín
• Lake Argentino

References