Skeiðarársandur

Connected by the longest bridge in Iceland, Skeiðarársandur, the largest sandur in the world, is a region with the iconic black sands extending to about 1300 km2 from Skeiðarárjökull to the sea. About 322 km from the capital, Skeiðarársandur is a floodplain for several rivers, including River Gígjukvísl and River Skeiðarár which flow below Skeiðarárjökull, besides glacial outburst from nearby volcanoes under Vatnajokull Ice Cap.

Connected by the longest bridge in Iceland, Skeiðarársandur, the largest sandur in the world, is a region with the iconic black sands extending to about 1300 km2 from Skeiðarárjökull to the sea. About 322 km from the capital, Skeiðarársandur is a floodplain for several rivers, including River Gígjukvísl and River Skeiðarár which flow below Skeiðarárjökull, besides glacial outburst from nearby volcanoes under Vatnajokull Ice Cap.

The 904-meter bridge, built in 1974, brought great relief to people living around the area, as earlier Icelanders were forced to take a longer and more difficult route. The bridge also ensured that the bottleneck for the completion of Route 1 or Ring Road was finally removed. Of course, a part of the bridge was also destroyed and soon repaired in 1996 during the violent glacial outburst, when volcano Grímsvötn erupted. Skeiðarársandur, which was initially alluvial, with sediments brought down by rivers ranging up to 200 km3, became known as Öræfi, which means wasteland after the 1362 eruption. 

The past few years has seen greenery enveloping the region and also the growth of birch trees, besides becoming a prominent nesting site for the great skua. There are also a large number of seals near the shore.

LOCATION

 

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