My route along Iceland's ring road has now brought me to the southern side of the country, the area where Vantajokul (Vanta Glacier) flows through a steep range of volcanic mountains and actually reaches the sea. It is the largest glacier in the world other than the ice caps on the poles and Greenland. Each of the fingers of glacier which ooze out between the mountains are giant and a small part of the whole. I drove along its southern edge for hours--about 300 kilometers.
Even more cool--it is a remnant of the ice sheet which covered the northern hemisphere during the last glaciation. Probably we could call it a fossil glacier. There is some evidence that the central mountain under the glacier actually had an ice cap even during the warm inter-glacial period. Imagine!
Under the ice are 7-10 active volcanoes. They erupt from time to time. Most recent was 1996. A volcano has been erupting in 2013-2014, near but not actually under the ice.
I had no idea how much I would enjoy seeing the glaciers and the ice chunks breaking off.
I have two sets of photos here:
Hofteljokul, is a bit of a drive inland away from the highway. It is the easternmost access point to the actual glacier and pretty dramatic driving across the gravel to get there. It has a lake at its toe with glacial chunks floating.
Another treat is wild reindeer who winter in the area. (Reindeer were introduced from Norway in the 1700's and have naturalized. They are wild and are hunted in season to prevent their spread west into the main agricultural areas of the country.)
Below that are photos of JokylSaflon (Glacial Lagoon) where a large mass of Vatnajokul actually reaches the sea. Chunks of ice break off and float out a short river to the sea. Graciously, Iceland has build a bridge on Highway 1 right across the glacial river. The photo on top of this post is the ice reaching the sea.
I ended the day near Vik, the southernmost point of the country. I have passed out of the Vantajokul glacier area into the Katya Geopark with a different glacier and volcanic activity. No photos because wind and rain, sadly. But you can follow this link to find out more.
Hofteljokul
JokulSaflon
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