Venezuela’s Last Glacier, Humboldt, Has Melted Away

Venezuela is the first postglacial nation in the Andes, as its last substantial patch of ice is now considered too small to flow under its own weight.

Venezuela’s Humboldt Glacier has completely disappeared, marking a significant environmental change as it was the last glacier in a country historically covered by such ice formations. Satellite imagery from 2015 to 2024 documents this decline, showcasing the glacier’s reduction from about 0.1 square kilometers to nearly non-existent. This loss reflects a broader pattern of retreating tropical glaciers worldwide, exacerbated by rising global temperatures.