Ring of Ice and Fire

A “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse reaches annularity as two intrepid ice climbers summit the mighty Glacier Leones in the Northern Patagonian Ice Field of Chile. A drone equiped with a powerful lighting rig illuminates the ice’s textures and colours, battling fierce winds that whip up plumes of snow that burn in the sun’s rays. In the foreground, the ice is strewn with rocky debris, remnants of a landslide triggered upstream. As the glacier receded, its retreat destabilised the valley walls, making them prone to collapse. This initiated a self-perpetuating cycle with the debris darkening the ice, increasing infrared absorption and further accelerating the glacier’s melt. That culminates in the Glacier Leones being one of the world fastest retreating glaciers. Recent years has seen this glacier retreat at an alarming rate, in places loosing ten metres of thickness every year. A trend that is consistent across the globe. Amplified by greenhouse gasses, it signals the demise of our frozen landscapes. By the time an eclipse passes this location, forecasts predict that there will no longer be a glacier for anyone to stand upon.