Glaciers in Iceland
Edit This
Glaciers in Iceland cover about 11% of the total
area of the island, and they form o ne of the most
distinctive features of Iceland.
Almost all types of glaciers are found in
Iceland, ranging from the small cirque glaciers to larger glacier
caps.
Vatnajökull in Southeast Iceland is the largest
of the glacier caps not only in the country but also in Europe, with an area of
almost 8,300 square km, equal in size to all the glaciers on the European
mainland put together. Its thickness varies from 400m to 1,000 m.
One of its southern outlets, Breiðamerkurjökull, descends to sea level, and
while retreating, it has left behind the Jökulsárlón Glacial lagoon
Other large glacier caps are Langjökull (953 sq.
km) and Hofsjökull (925 sq. km), both in the central highlands and Mýrdalsjökull
(596 sq. km) in the south.
Contributors
November 08, 2007
new
by thora (1 point)
back to Sights
