Patagonian Ice Sheet Patagonian Ice Sheet The Patagonian Ice Sheet was a large elongated and narrow ice sheet centered in the southern Andes that existed during the Llanquihue glaciation. The ice sheet covered all of Chile south of Puerto Montt plus the western fringes of Argentine Patagonia. The ice sheet extended beyond the crest of the Andes into Argentina, but because of the dryness of the climate it did not reach beyond present-day lakes such as the Yagagtoo, Musters, and Colhue Huapi. At its peak (about 18,000-17,500 years ago), the Patagonian Ice Sheet covered about 480,000 km² of land with an estimated ice-volume
Monte Desert the aridity of the region and the formation of the Monte and other nearby deserts. Although a difference between this desert and the other two deserts is the lack of intensity of effect from the cold water currents off the South American coast for the Monte Desert. This allows the desert to support a wider variety of life than the other two more extreme deserts. The flora of the region is much more diverse than the nearby Patagonian Desert (which contains mainly shrubs and grasses) and the Atacama Desert (which is pretty much devoid of life). Shrubs and grasses are