Langjökull (, Icelandic for "long glacier") is the second largest

ice cap In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets. Description By definition, ice caps are not constrained by topogra ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

(), after

Vatnajökull Vatnajökull ( Icelandic pronunciation: , literally "Glacier of Lakes"; sometimes translated as Vatna Glacier in English) is the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland, and the second largest in area in Europe after the Severny Island i ...

. It is situated in the west of the Icelandic interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur. It covers the higher parts of the Langjökull volcanic system. Its volume is and the ice is up to thick. The highest point of the ice cap (at ''Baldjökull'' at the northern end of Langjökull) is about above sea level. In the past, the largest recorded surface area was in 1840.

Situation and form

The glacier is roughly parallel to the direction of the country's active volcanic zone: north-east to south-west. It is about long and wide, and has a slightly narrower point roughly between the lake Hvítárvatn on the Kjölur mountain road to the east and the Þrístapajökull glacier to the west, near another smaller glacier, Eiríksjökull, which is not quite connected to Langjökull. It is the nearest large glacier to

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

. The area of the glacier includes some mountains, e.g. ''Jarlhettur'' (; "The earl's hat") on the east side of Langjökull, a palagonitic mountain range, which originated in a

fissure vent A fissure vent, also known as a volcanic fissure, eruption fissure or simply a fissure, is a linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts, usually without any explosive activity. The vent is often a few metres wide and may be many kilo ...

under a glacier during the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

. The mountain ''Skríðufell'' () is situated on the east, above lake Hvítárvatn. Other mountains on the eastern side of Langjökull are ''Fjallkirkja'' (), ''Þursaborg'' () and ''Péturshorn'' (). A little to the east of ''Fjallkirkja'' is the hut of the Icelandic Glacier Research Society (also called Jöklarannsóknarfélag in the ), which includes scientists as well as interested amateurs.

Glaciers in the area

A number of outlet glaciers reach down from Langjökull to the valleys and plains below. However various different names exist for these outlet areas and there are outlet areas that do not have glacial names. The outlets include ''Norðurjökull'' and ''Suðurjökull'' to the east, separated by the ''Skriðufell'' glacier outlet area; ''Eystri-Hagafellsjökull (Hagafellsjökull eystri)'' at the southern end of Langjökull which is separated from ''Suðurjökull'' by the ''Skálpanes'' and ''Jarlhettur'' glacier outlet areas; the mountain ''Hagafell'' which is also a small outlet area between ''Eystri-Hagafellsjökull'' and ''Vestri-Hagafellsjökull (Hagafellsjökull vestari)'' ; ''Lónsjökull'' (''Lónjökull'') between it and '' Geitlandsjökull'' () an outpost to the south-west, with its glacier covering a

tuya A tuya is a flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. They are rare worldwide, being confined to regions which were covered by glaciers and had active volcanism during the same period. As lava ...

; ''Svartárjökull'', ''Flosajökull'' (''Flosakarðsjöklar'' catchment), ''Þrístapajökull'' and ''Baldjökull'' to the west. From the north east on the far side of the ''Baldjökull'' catchment there is ''Pjófadalajökull'', ''Hengibjörg'', ''Leiðarjökull'' and ''Kirkjujökull'' catchments. The old icecap marginal glacier name of Bláfellsjökull for Suðurjökull is no longer used. Research shows that the outlet glaciers ''Norðurjökull'' and ''Suðurjökull'' reached as far as lake Hvítárvatn until about 1900 but have retreated rapidly since then.

Water flow and development of the glacier

Despite the size of Langjökull, not many rivers directly originate there. However research has shown that large quantities of water flow in sub-surface streams to lake Þingvallavatn (some to the south and easily accessible to tourists) and reappear in springs in and around the lake, while the same happens on the west side, giving rise to various tributaries of the Hvítá River as well as some rivers flowing north towards

Húnaflói (, ) is a bay of the Iceland Sea in Northwestern Region (Iceland), Northwestern Region and Westfjords, Iceland. It is situated between the village of Strandir on peninsula to the west and the of Skagi peninsula to the east. Spanning , it has a ...

. Thus many of the hot springs in the Borgarfjörður region (near the estuary of the Hvítá on the west coast), such as Deildartunguhver, receive ground water from Langjökull. The same is true for the lake Hvítárvatn to the east: two-thirds of its waters appear to come from Langjökull by underwater channels. Langjökull is shrinking quite fast, and some researchers believe that it will disappear in about 150 years if climate change continues at its recent pace.

Volcanism

Under Langjökull there are volcanoes with several components. The calderas can easily be seen from the air. The best known of these is Hveravellir with its hot spring and high temperature area to the east of the glacier. During an Ice Age some

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...

es of this system covered the plains with lava in the region of today's Kjölur mountain road: the ''Kjalhraun'' (; ''hraun'' means "lava field"). Some of this lava field is about 7,800 years old. A smaller volcanic system lies to the north-west of the glacier in the , north of the glacier Eiríksjökull. About 1,000 years ago, the craters of this system produced the lava field ''Hallmundarhraun'' which extends some westward into the valley of the Hvítá, and is traversed by underground streams which emerge at the waterfalls of Hraunfossar not far from Húsafell. Another volcanic system to the south-west of Langjökull is Presthnúkur, named after its central volcano, a

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture (geology), texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained matri ...

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

with a high temperature area at its foot. Its fissures extend under Langjökull. Volcanically, the region is relatively quiet, compared to other regions in Iceland, with just 32 eruptions in the last 10,000 years.Sveinn Jakobson u.a., Volcanic systems and segmentation of the plate boundaries in S-W-Iceland
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Highland roads

Two highland tracks, open in the summer months, lead alongside this glacier: the Kaldidalur and Kjölur tracks. The former (road 550) runs along the west of Langjökull, between it and the small Ok glacier. To the south it leads towards

Þingvellir Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter thorn (letter), "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Althing, Alþing, the annual ...

and Reykjavík, while to the north it leads to the Hvítá valley which leads down towards Borgarnes. Kaldidalur is no longer classified by the Icelandic road authorities as an F-road. Nevertheless, rental car companies forbid their clients to drive on the road with other cars than four-wheel drives. Road F551 goes right to the edge of the glacier from Kaldidalur. The latter (road F35) runs along the east side of Langjökull, between it and

Hofsjökull __NOTOC__ Hofsjökull (Icelandic language, Icelandic: "temple glacier", ) is the third largest ice cap in Iceland after Vatnajökull and Langjökull and covers the largest active central volcano in the country, which has the same name. It is si ...

. It is the main route across the interior between the main population centres in the SW and the N of the country, but nevertheless traffic is extremely sparse.

Tourism

Langjökull attracts visitors who are captivated by its immense size and natural beauty. The glacier offers a unique experience for adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. With its easily accessible location in the Icelandic interior, Langjökull provides opportunities for various activities, such as glacier hiking, snowmobiling, monster truck ride, and exploring natural ice caves and man-made tunnels. These experiences provide a different perspective of the glacier and its surroundings, enhancing the overall visit to Langjökull. Located near popular tourist routes like the Golden Circle, Langjökull holds a prominent position in Iceland's tourism industry. Its significant contribution to the surrounding natural wonders, such as Gullfoss waterfall and

Geysir Geysir (), sometimes known as The Great Geysir, is a geyser in south-western Iceland, that geological studies suggest started forming about 1150 CE. The English word ''geyser'' (a periodically spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir. The name ' ...

's geothermal area, adds to its allure. The glacier's proximity to these iconic sites makes it a sought-after destination for travelers seeking to witness the awe-inspiring effects of glacial forces on the landscape. It is important to note the importance of responsible tourism practices to preserve and protect Langjökull. Visitors are encouraged to respect the environment and follow sustainable guidelines to ensure the long-term preservation of this remarkable glacier.

In popular culture

The glacier is featured in the final scene of the 1999 animated film ''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film directed by Brad Bird and produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation. It is loosely based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was published in the United ...

'', directed by

Brad Bird Philip Bradley Bird (born September 24, 1957) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. He has had a career spanning over four decades in both animation and Live action, live-action. Bird was born in Montana and grew up in Oregon. He ...

, where the titular Giant's parts, scattered by his destruction at the film's climax, converge on his head to begin reassembling him. The first chapter of the thriller novel ''The Last Orphan'' by Gregg Hurwitz takes place on top of the glacier.

Notes

References

External links

Langjökull
in the Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes
Photo of LangjökullGwenn E. Flowers, Helgi Björnsson, Áslaug Geirsdóttir, Gifford H. Miller and Garry K.C. Clark:Glacier fluctuation and inferred climatology of Langjokull through the little Ice Age. in: Quaternary Science Reviews, Vol. 26, 2007 Erdbebenüberwachung am LangjökullSveinn Jakobson u.a., Volcanic systems and segmentation of the plate boundaries in S-W-Iceland Skiing on the glacier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langjokull Highlands of Iceland Bodies of ice of Iceland Ice caps Volcanic systems of Iceland West Volcanic Zone of Iceland