(LONDON) — What was once considered the most stable glacier in the Patagonia region is experiencing ice loss at rates far greater than previously thought, according to new research.

The Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina has retreated far more rapidly than expected in the past several years, according to a paper published Thursday in Communications Earth & Environment.

The glacier, measuring about 18.6 miles long, has retreated nearly half a mile in some areas over the past few years and could retreat by more than a mile in the near future, the study found. It is fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in the Andes Mountains and terminates in Lago Argentino.

Previously painted as a glacier that “prevails in a changing climate,” researchers began closely studying Perito Moreno to compar

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