Iceland glacier

Desolation. At the centre of this picture Iceland's Vatnajokull Glacier can be seen reaching the sea This page continues east along the south coast to where Iceland's largest glacier reaches down to the sea. Vatnajokull Go to another site.

covers over 3,000 square miles of the country and at 1,300 feet (400 metres) thick probably forms the biggest block of ice in Europe. The road traverses this uncertain melt-water and visitors can spend time in the shelters provided listening to the eerie creaking of the ice in the grey of the midsummer midnight - well I did anyway. In Iceland, because of the black ash of which it mostly consists, glaciers are scruffy affairs, deeply crevassed, and lumberingly restless. Southern coast of Iceland.

These three soft shots are from the plane. The flight path follows the south coast shown above; the glacier flows out between the hills seen in the pictures below Rivulets seeking way tot he sea.

The image to the left shows water flowing out from under the glacier, and above is one of the icy tongues licking the sea shore Dust raised by vehicle on coastal ash-fields.

Dust raised by vehicle on coastal ash-fields.

Dust raised by a passing vehicle crossing the expanses of black ash that lie between the glacier and the sea River disappearing into dust cloud

The river from the glacier disappearing into the dust clouds Mountain backdrop.

Backdrop of mountains to the west of the the glacier Green land with track.

The lower slopes of the mountains do provide some grazing... Sharp hills as background to vegetation.

...although the sharp outlines of the hills are close River with mountains beyond.

River, black ash, mountains and, just visible in the centre, the glacier descending to the sea River near sea.

The river reaching the sea between bars of black ash River meanders and mountains.

Meanders with the mountains as background Mountains where glacier emerges.

The mountains from which the glacier flows Mosses along river.

A little green moss on the sides of the river Scrub, glacier, mountains.

The edge of the barely fertile ground with the passing glacier visible to the left and jagged cliffs beyond Meadows, dyke and peaks.

Meadows with dyke and peaks beyond Meadows, glacier and hills.

Meadows leading down to the glacier with hillsides beyond

Expeditions can, Go to another site.

in a few hours, take you into the caves of the glacier. But the easily accessible glacier surface... Glacier surface, grass foreground.

...is far from my imagined expansive clean ethereal calm, it is in fact rather dirty, fissured and noisy Snow covered mountains.

However rising above the glacier the mountains in deep snow make up for their scruffy neighbour... Pinnacles on neighbouring hills.

...and also provide dramatic outlines Snow covered hills.

Iced hills Black hills.

Blackened hills Crags in front of snow covered mountains.

Two words: Iceland's mountains The next page takes you back from these barren wastelands and towards Reykjavik, where, in a fertile plain by a large lake, is the site of the world's first parliament at Thingvellir. The area is also famous for the geological phenomenon known as a rift - two tectonic plates moving away from one another.

Iceland's Vatnajökull Glacier