Fláajökull

Approaching the crippled giant, its tongue unrolled upon the ground within a pool of muddied water. Winding away from the sloped bridge of time, the river marched on, accelerating at each bend. In the cracked rearview mirror, an unrecognizable face reflected a frostbitten nose between sun worn cheeks. Wrinkles deep like crevasses, eyes smudged black as it wept, precariously melting into oblivion.

Sloping Glacier

Previously known by many names, Fláajökull is a glacial tongue of Vatnajökull which descends down the east side of the Breiðabunga volcano.

Bridge Out

The footbridge to access Fláajökull is currently out, with no estimated repair date. Washed away in flooding in 2014, it was rebuilt and reopened in 2017, only to be washed away again four months later.

Melting Away

Over the last century, Fláajökull has receded over two kilometers, a common trend throughout the country's glaciers. In 2019, Iceland held a symbolic funeral for Okjokull glacier in an attempt to gain awareness for the growing problem. In just 200 years, it is predicted that all of Iceland's glaciers will be melted.

Black Ice

Despite being formed by snow, glaciers are not purely white. As glaciers melt in the summer, the surface meltwater becomes trapped under the glacier and refreezes to the bottom of the glacier, along with dirt and sediment trapped within the ice. The ice and dirt layers then separate, creating alternating layers of clean and dirty ice and the process continues, forming unique patterns in the glacier.