Cordillera Darwin is located in the southwestern portion of
Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, entirely within the Chilean territory. It is part of the longest
Andes range and includes the highest mountains in
Tierra del Fuego, with elevations reaching over ; The ice field of the Cordillera Darwin covers an area greater than . The Darwin Range extends in a west–east direction from the
Monte Sarmiento (located in the vicinity of
Magdalena Channel) to
Yendegaia Valley. It is bounded by the
Almirantazgo Fjord on the north and the
Beagle Channel on the south. The range is named after
Charles Darwin and is the most important feature of
Alberto de Agostini National Park, which includes a number of well-known glaciers including the
Marinelli Glacier, which is now under prolonged retreat as of 2008. In October 2011, a team of French mountaineers from the French Army's
Groupe Militaire de Haute Montagne announced the first crossing of the Cordillera Darwin in a 29-day trip which included the second ascent of
Mount Darwin. ==Geology==