Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country. Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe. The average thickness of the ice is 400m, with a maximum thickness of 1km. Under this ice cap, as under many of the glaciers of Iceland, there are several volcanoes.
An outlet glacier of Vatnajökull is Breiðamerkurjökull which emerges as a tongue of the Vatnajökull and it ends in a small lagoon, known as Jökulsárlón. Breiðamerkurjökull has gradually been breaking down producing floating icebergs of varying size. As the icebergs break away, they drift slowly into the lagoon and eventually join the ocean. They are stated to float in the 600m deep lagoon for 5 years. As the Breiðamerkurjökull's melting rates increased, the size of the lagoon increased as well, from 8km² in 1975 to 18km² today. Near Jökulsárlón, there is a second lagoon called Brejðrlan, which is smaller in size than Jökulsárlón.
Jökulsárlón lagoon:
Icebergs by the sea:
Brejðrlan lagoon:
A tongue of Vatnajökull:
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