Living Geology: The Secrets Hidden Within the Mountains and Glaciers of Torres del Paine
A Geological "Sandwich": The Origin of the Cuernos del Paine
When you traverse the paths toward the Paine Massif, it is impossible not to notice that the imposing "Horns" have two completely different colors: a light gray base and a black top. This world rarity is due to an amazing geological process. About 12 to 15 million years ago, a massive intrusion of hot magma tried to reach the surface but cooled slowly beneath a thick layer of dark oceanic sedimentary rocks. Upon cooling, the magma formed the resistant light granite, creating a "rock sandwich." Later, giant ice-age glaciers carved the mountain, leaving these impressive bichromatic summits exposed.
The Southern Patagonian Ice Field
Torres del Paine's wonders are not only made of stone but also pure ice. The park protects margins of the imposing Southern Patagonian Ice Field, a continuous network of 49 interconnected glaciers. This colossal white mass is the third-largest freshwater reserve on the planet.
Marine Monsters Under the Ice: The Mystery of Tyndall
Perhaps the most mind-blowing secret these mountains hold is that, over 100 million years ago (during the Cretaceous period), they were once a deep seabed. In the Tyndall Glacier sector, geologists have discovered dozens of semi-complete Ichthyosaur fossils. These immense marine reptiles, which could reach up to 15 meters (49 ft), thrived in these waters long before the Andes Mountains even began to rise from the depths of the earth.