Vatnajokull Glacier is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country. With a size of 8,100 sq. km, it is the largest glacier in Europe. The average thickness of the ice is 400 m, with it reaching an amazing thickness of 1 km in some parts. Iceland's highest mountain, Oraefajokull (2,110 m), is located on the southern periphery of Vatnajokull, near Skaftafell National Park. It is classified as an ice cap glacier. Under the glacier, as under many of the glaciers of Iceland, there are several volcanoes. Vatnajokull has been shrinking for some years now, possibly because of climatic changes and recent volcanic activity.
It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country. With a size of 8,100 km², it is
the largest glacier in Europe in volume (3,100 km³) and the second largest (after Austfonna on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard) in area (not counting the still larger ice cap of Severny Island of Novaya Zemlya, Russia, which is located in the extreme northeast of Europe). The average thickness of the ice is 400 m, with a maximum thickness of 1,000 m. Iceland's highest peak, Hvannadalshnúkur (2,110 m), is located in the southern periphery of Vatnajökull, near Skaftafell National Park. It is classified as an ice cap glacier. Under the glacier, as under many of the glaciers of Iceland, there are several volcanoes. The volcanic lakes, Grímsvötn for example, were the sources of a large glacial lake outburst flood in 1996. The volcano under these lakes also caused a considerable but short-time eruption in the beginning of November 2004. During the last ice age, numerous volcanic eruptions occurred under Vatnajökull, creating many subglacial eruptions. These eruptions formed tuyas, such as Herðubreið which originally sat beneath Vatnajökull during the last ice age. Vatnajökull has been shrinking for some years now, possibly because of climatic changes and recent volcanic activity. Until 1930 it was growing. The phenomenon of Jökulhlaup is at present time confined to Vatnajökull. According to Guinness World Records Vatnajökull is the object of the world's longest sight line, 550 km from Slættaratindur, the highest mountain in the Faroe Islands. GWR state that "owing to the light bending effects of atmospheric refraction, Vatnajökull (2119m), Iceland, can sometimes be seen from the Faroe Islands, 340 miles (550km) away". This may be based on a claimed sighting by a British sailor in 1939. The validity of this record is analysed/undermined in mathematical.
the largest glacier in Europe in volume (3,100 km³) and the second largest (after Austfonna on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard) in area (not counting the still larger ice cap of Severny Island of Novaya Zemlya, Russia, which is located in the extreme northeast of Europe). The average thickness of the ice is 400 m, with a maximum thickness of 1,000 m. Iceland's highest peak, Hvannadalshnúkur (2,110 m), is located in the southern periphery of Vatnajökull, near Skaftafell National Park. It is classified as an ice cap glacier. Under the glacier, as under many of the glaciers of Iceland, there are several volcanoes. The volcanic lakes, Grímsvötn for example, were the sources of a large glacial lake outburst flood in 1996. The volcano under these lakes also caused a considerable but short-time eruption in the beginning of November 2004. During the last ice age, numerous volcanic eruptions occurred under Vatnajökull, creating many subglacial eruptions. These eruptions formed tuyas, such as Herðubreið which originally sat beneath Vatnajökull during the last ice age. Vatnajökull has been shrinking for some years now, possibly because of climatic changes and recent volcanic activity. Until 1930 it was growing. The phenomenon of Jökulhlaup is at present time confined to Vatnajökull. According to Guinness World Records Vatnajökull is the object of the world's longest sight line, 550 km from Slættaratindur, the highest mountain in the Faroe Islands. GWR state that "owing to the light bending effects of atmospheric refraction, Vatnajökull (2119m), Iceland, can sometimes be seen from the Faroe Islands, 340 miles (550km) away". This may be based on a claimed sighting by a British sailor in 1939. The validity of this record is analysed/undermined in mathematical.
Is the biggest glacier in Europe. It covers about 8% of the country and the average thikness is 400m. Under the ice-cap are still active vulcanos and in Grimsvotn vulcano, Iceland's most active since the Middle Ages erupted in 1996, 1998 and 2004. Seven central volcanoes are situated underneth the Vatnajokull ice-cap. The Kverkfjöll is a large glaciated central vulcano on the northern edge of Vatnajokull, with a powerful highteo-nature ared where there are mudholes. Steam bowholes and a luke-warm lake. Undereneath the glacier is an ice cavern system several km long. Vatnajokull (2110m) was named after sub-glacial lakes in a very volcanically active region in its centre. It is the largest glacier of Europe with an area of about 8,100 km², an average thickness of 400 m and the greatest thickness of about 1100 m. It contains approximately 3300 km³ of ice. The sub glacial landscape is an undulating plateau (600-1000m) with valleys and gorges. The icecap rises between 1400 and 1800 m above sea level. The ablation elevation is a bit different, 1100 m in the south, 1200 m in the west and 1300 m in the north. A great number of glacier snouts of different sizes flows down onto the lower lying areas. No glacier in the country has been researched more thoroughly than Vatnajökull. The research started in 1934, when the lake region erupted and ever since the Glaciological Society was founded in 1950 it has been continued every year. The GS owns huts in several places on the icecap. The latest eruptions of the lake region took place in 1996 and 1998. The first confirmed trip across the icecap from the south and back was accomplished in 1875 by an Englishman and a few Icelanders. They were the first to see the Askja eruption the same year and report it to the people living on Lake Myvatn. The recreational company Joklaferdir hf. (Glacier Tours Ltd) owns a hut (1100m) at the edge of the glacier snout, Skalafellsjokull, and offers adventure tours on the icecap.
