Langjökull

Covering an area of 953 km2, Langjökull or ‘long glacier’ is the second biggest ice cap in Iceland. Located to the west of the highlands, it is around 50 km in length and 20 km wide. While the ice at its thickest point is 580 meters, Langjökull is about 1450 meters above sea level at its highest point, located towards the north, known as Baldjökull. 

Covering an area of 953 km2, Langjökull or ‘long glacier’ is the second biggest ice cap in Iceland. Located to the west of the highlands, it is around 50 km in length and 20 km wide. While the ice at its thickest point is 580 meters, Langjökull is about 1450 meters above sea level at its highest point, located towards the north, known as Baldjökull.

Close to the highest peaks of the glacier is a man-made ice tunnel, which was designed and constructed by geophysicist and presidential-candidate Ari Trausti Guðmundsson, which offers visitors a glimpse of the amazing formations, hues and colors, specially blue, under Langjökull’s thick ice-sheet. This is also one-of-its-kind and the only location in the world to offer ‘Into the Glacier’ tours, often snowmobiling to add to the excitement. The region, which also has Iceland’s longest cave, Surtshellir, has been less volatile comparatively and has seen only 32 eruptions in the past 10,000 years, despite being parallel to the direction of the active volcano zone. The glacier, which lies over a massif of Hyaloclastite Mountains, also includes mountains such as Jarlhettur, Skríðufell, Fjallkirkja, Þursaborg, Péturshorn etc.

The lava fields of Skjaldbreiðarhraun and Lambahraun and the shield volcano, Skjaldbreiður are also located within the glacier. In the past the glacier’s recorded area was almost double and researchers opine that Langjökull will cease to exist in about 150 years if climate change continues at the present pace.

LOCATION

 

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