Many of Iceland’s glaciers conceal fiery secrets below the ice. Mýrdalsjökull glacier is no exception and covers the highly active and overdue Katla volcano.
Katla volcano’s diametre is 10 km (6 miles), and the volcano usually erupts every 40–80 years. During an eruption, the glacier lying over the volcano’s vent melts. The melted water collects under the ice-cap until it pushes its way out from under the edge in a violent flood. Icelanders call these floods “Jökulhlaup.” Floodwater contains huge amounts of ice, rocks, silt and sand. Actually, past floods are responsible for forming most of the sand plains in Southeast Iceland.
Visiting Mýrdalsjökull glacier
Myrdalsjokull lies to the north of Vík i Myrdal and to the east of Eyjafjallajökull. Actually, the popular Fimmvörðuhals hiking trail lies between these two glaciers. Moreover, Mýrdalsjökull ice cap is the fourth largest on the island, covering nearly 600 km2 (232 sq mi). Its highest peak reaches around 1.500 m (4.922 ft). When you visit Mýrdalsjökull, you can enjoy guided glacier adventure opportunities like ice climbing, glacier walking and snowmobiling.
Visitors to the glacier must be extremely careful about crevasses, which can open unexpectedly. Inexperienced travelers should never go onto a glacier without a local guide. Weather conditions shift on the glacier very rapidly, and high winds and snowstorms can appear in a flash all year round.
