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Vatnajökull National Park
Vatnajökull National Park ( is, Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður ) is one of three national parks in Iceland. It encompasses all of Vatnajökull glacier and extensive surrounding areas. These include the national parks previously existing at Skaftafell in the southwest and Jökulsárgljúfur in the north. The unique qualities of Vatnajökull National Park are primarily its great variety of landscape features, created by the combined forces of rivers, glacial ice, and volcanic and geothermal activity. On 5 July 2019, Vatnajökull National Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. History Vatnajökull National Park was established on 7 June 2008. When established, the park covered an area of 12,000 km2, but with recent additions of Lakagígar, Langisjór, Krepputunga and Jökulsárlón (including its surrounding areas) it now covers 14,141 km2 or approximately 14% of Iceland, making it Europe's second largest national park in terms of area after Yugyd Va in Russia. G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hvannadalshnjúkur
Hvannadalshnjúkur (pronounced ) or Hvannadalshnúkur is a pyramidal peak on the northwestern rim of the summit crater of the Öræfajökull volcano in Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland. Its summit is the highest point in the country. Geography An official measurement completed in August 2005 established the height of the mountain as Vatnajokull.com Retrieved 2013-08-09. (previously set as ). The peak is part of the . Access to the summit The route to the top is a popular climb through numerous and frequently hidden |
Skeiðará
Skeiðará () is a relatively short glacier river (about 30 km long). It has its source on the glacier Skeiðarárjökull, one of the southern arms of the Vatnajökull in the south of Iceland. In spite of its short length, this river has a bad reputation. It is especially feared because of the frequent glacier runs that can be fatal. In front of Skaftafell and Skeiðarárjökull, Skeiðará has formed the Skeiðarársandur, a black plain of lava sand and ashes crossed by a lot of small rivulets which covers the whole area between the park and the sea (about 40 km long and 5 to 10 km wide). In 1996, the latest of these glacier runs took place. It destroyed parts of Route 1 (the Ring Road). The bridge was damaged by floating ice boulders the size of houses. At the peak of this glacier run, 45,000 m3/s of water were coming down. No one was harmed, scientists having very carefully monitored the volcano Grímsvötn on Vatnajökull which caused the glacier run b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ásbyrgi
Ásbyrgi () is a glacial canyon and forest in the north of Iceland, located approximately east of Húsavík on the Diamond Circle road. The horseshoe-shaped depression is part of the Vatnajökull National Park and measures approximately 3.5 km in length and over 1 km wide. For more than half of its length, the canyon is divided through the middle by a distinctive rock formation 25 meters high called ''Eyjan'' (, "the Island"), from which a vast landscape is seen. The canyon's steep sides are formed by cliffs up to in height. Within in the canyon is a woodland of birch and willow. Between 1947 and 1977, a number of foreign tree species were introduced, including spruce, larch and pine. The small lake ''Botnstjörn'' is home to a variety of waterfowl species. Ásbyrgi was most likely formed by catastrophic glacial flooding of the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum after the last ice age, first 8–10,000 years ago, and then again some 3,000 years ago. The river has si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dettifoss
Dettifoss () is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls. Dettifoss is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The sediment-rich runoff colours the water a greyish white. The falls are wide and have a drop of down to the canyon Jökulsárgljúfur. Atlas Obscura, 28 October 2016 It is the second largest waterfall in Iceland in terms of vol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herðubreið
Herðubreið (, ''broad-shouldered'') is a tuya in northern part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland. It is situated in the Highlands of Iceland at the east side of the Ódáðahraun desert and close to Askja volcano. The desert is a large lava field originating from eruptions of Trölladyngja and other shield volcanoes in the area. Herðubreið was formed beneath the icesheet that covered Iceland during the last glacial period. Overview Due to the mountain's steep and unstable sides, the first ascent was in 1908 despite centuries of knowledge of its existence. The Mountain is often referred to as "The Queen of Icelandic Mountains" by Icelanders due to its beautiful shape. Near the mountain lies an oasis called Herðubreiðarlindir with a campground and hiking trails. In former times, outcasts who had been excluded from Icelandic society because of crimes they had committed lived at the oasis. One such outlaw was Fjalla-Eyvindur, who lived there during the winter of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kverkfjöll
Kverkfjöll (; 1,764 m) is a mountain range situated on the north-eastern border of the glacier Vatnajökull in Iceland. With the glacier Kverkjökull, it is between the Vatnajökull glacier and the Dyngjufjöll mountains. The mountains are active volcanoes. Especially around 1720, they saw frequent eruptions and glacier runs. Under the mountains, there is a magma chamber which leads to the formation of glacier caves. Currently, they cannot be visited because of the risk of collapse. The Holuhraun lava field is approximately to the north-west of Kverkfjöll. The main volume of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river flows from the Kverkfjöll area. See also * Glaciers of Iceland * Iceland plume * List of lakes of Iceland * List of volcanoes in Iceland * Volcanism of Iceland :''The volcano system in Iceland that started activity on August 17, 2014, and ended on February 27, 2015, is Bárðarbunga.'' :''The volcano in Iceland that erupted in May 2011 is Grímsvötn.'' Iceland ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askja
Askja () is an active volcano situated in a remote part of the central highlands of Iceland. The name Askja refers to a complex of nested calderas within the surrounding Dyngjufjöll mountains, which rise to , ''askja'' meaning ''box'' or ''caldera'' in Icelandic. Location The region is only accessible for a few months of the year. Being situated in the rain shadow to the northeast of the Vatnajökull glacier, the area receives only about 450 mm of rainfall annually. NASA The area was used by NASA during training for the Apollo program to prepare astronauts for the lunar missions. Their main objective in Askja was to study geology. The Astronaut Monument in Húsavík lists the 32 astronauts who participated. Eruptions Askja was virtually unknown until the subplinian eruption which started on March 28, 1875, followed by the devastating phreatoplinian explosion on March 29, 1875. Especially in the Eastfjords of Iceland, the ashfall was heavy enough to poison t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ölfusá
The Ölfusá () is a river in Iceland. It begins at the junction between the Hvítá and Sog rivers, just north of the town of Selfoss, and flows for 25 km into the Atlantic ocean. It is Iceland's largest river by volume with an average discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ... of 423 m³/s. Its drainage basin is 5760 km2. The Ölfusá is home to a large salmon fishing industry. The Flói Nature Reserve is located on its eastern shore near its mouth. See also * List of rivers of Iceland External linksOlfusa Rivers of Iceland {{Iceland-river-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mýrdalsjökull
Mýrdalsjökull (pronounced , Icelandic for "(the) mire dale glacier" or "(the) mire valley glacier") is an ice cap in the south of Iceland. It is to the north of Vík í Mýrdal and to the east of the smaller ice cap Eyjafjallajökull. Between these two glaciers is Fimmvörðuháls pass. Its peak reaches in height and in the year 1980 it covered an area of approximately . The icecap of the glacier covers an active volcano called Katla. The caldera of the volcano has a diameter of and the volcano erupts usually every 40–80 years. The last eruption took place in 1918. Scientists are actively monitoring the volcano, particularly after the eruption of nearby Eyjafjallajökull began in April 2010. Since the year 930, 16 eruptions have been documented. The Eldgjá, a volcanic eruption fissure about long, which erupted in the year 936, is part of the same volcanic system. Before the Hringvegur (the main ring road round the island) was built, people feared traversing the pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
