© 2026 New Atlas

glacier

  • About 11 percent of Iceland is covered in glaciers with a full eight percent coming from the Vatnajökull glacier in the southeast of the country. With an area of 8,300 sq km (3205 sq mi), it has the same mass as all of the glaciers on mainland Europe put together. This shot was taken at the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, a spot where the massive glacier has an outlet, or an area where the giant ice lake flows outwards. This wall is the site of regular calving, where chunks of ice drop into the lagoon to become icebergs.
    Holiday Destinations
    A tale of ice and fire: Time travel in Iceland
    ​Driving along the "Ring Road" that encircles the Iceland, it's easy to feel as though you've traveled back in time and are witnessing the Earth as it was when it was just getting started. In many ways that's actually the case​ and New Atlas checked out some of the science behind the sites.