Iceberg Lagoon

October 20, 2020

Salvatore Cerruto B

Photographer: Salvatore Cerruto
Summary Authors: Salvatore Cerruto; Stu Witmer

Iceland is truly a geologically rich land. The Jökulsárlón (Icelandic for glacial river lagoon) holds great charm for visitors. This lagoon is populated by icebergs that originate from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, an arm of the massive Vatnajökull Ice Cap, the largest ice cap in Europe. In 1935 increasing amounts of silt began to build the lagoon which then grew quickly. Today, erosion continues to increase the area of the lagoon. Breiðamerkurjökull was formed during the Little Ice Age (c 1300 -1850). When I saw the iceberg pictured above, I was amazed by the colors that stood out like a diamond on a gray day. Standing there looking at it for a while I began to feel a very strong connection with nature.