evidence: The Patagonian Andes and Tierra del Fuego, from Río Aysén to Cape Horn (46–56° S) are characterized by a larger amount of annual rainfall well distributed throughout the year and a strong west–east gradient (e.g. Ohata and others, Reference Ohata and Nakajima1985; Carrasco and others, Reference Carrasco, Casassa, Rivera, Casassa, Sepúlveda and Sinclair2002). The Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) and the Southern Patagonia Icefield (SPI) are the largest temperate ice-bodies of the Southern Hemisphere (Warren and Sugden, Reference Warren and Sugden1993). Although most of the SPI lies in Chile, it is partially shared with Argentina (Casassa and Rivera, Reference Casassa and Rivera2001), existing within its eastern side a rectangle (Mount Fitz Roy – Cerro Murallón), in which the boundary is not defined yet. In the periphery of the Patagonian icefields, mountain glaciers are found at Baker, Pascua and Serrano catchments, the three main large catchments, which drain meltwater from the east side of the icefields to the Pacific Ocean. [...] At Norte Chico, a large retreat rate is observed at Del Potro glacier with −0.17 km2 and Tronquitos glacier with −0.18 km2. Between Estrecho glacier and Cerro Volcán the retreat rate is more moderate (~ −0.5 km2). Large rock glaciers such as Maranceles and Las Tolas at Copiapó, and Elqui catchments, respectively, also showed no frontal change.