Glaciers of Iceland by PirateOfMangrove on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Glaciers cover 11% of Iceland's land surface and have a significant impact on its landscape.

Many of Iceland's glaciers are located above volcanoes, such as Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga, which lie beneath the largest glacier, Vatnajökull. Grímsvötn's caldera is 100 km², and Bárðarbungu's is 60 km². When volcanic activity occurs beneath a glacier, the resulting meltwater can lead to a sudden glacial outburst known in Icelandic as a jökulhlaup.

Violent storms bring huge blocks of ice from Greenland, 287 kilometres away, to the shores of Iceland.