Amateur Photographer Captures Moment Glacier Ruptures on Film

Melissa Knowles

Everyone hopes to capture a memorable image or experience on film while they're on vacation, but most of us just end up with nice but not particularly extraordinary pictures. Most of us are not as lucky as Christian Grosso, an amateur photographer, who got the surprise of a lifetime while vacationing in Argentina's Patagonia region.

Grosso was taking pictures of the Perito Moreno Glacier Bridge along the waters of Lake Argentino and Brazo Rico when suddenly a piece of the ice bridge cracked and plunged into the water below, creating a huge wave. Grosso's photograph was featured on the Earth Science Picture of the Day website. Grosso said the rupture of the ice bridge was caused by blocked water that slowly built up pressure under the ice over a period of about 10 to 50 months. Glacier collapses in the area cause the water of Brazo Rico to rise about 90 feet every year.

There were about 20 to 30 tourists present with Grosso on January 19, when the pictures were taken. They were far enough away from the collapse of the glacier and falling ice and were not harmed or injured.

[Related: Epic glacier collapse caught on camera]

Like us on Facebook.com/TrendingNow, and follow "Trending Now" on Twitter: @Knowlesitall and @YahooTrending.