Iceland's Hringvegur (Ring Road) - Jökull (Glaciers)

October 18, 2016

Þjóðvegur 1 or Hringvegur (Route 1 or the Ring Road) is a national road in Iceland that runs around the island and connects most of the inhabited parts of the country.  We explored from Reykjavík to Vík.

Eyjafjallajökull is a volcano completely covered by an ice cap. The ice cap covers an area of about 39 sq miles and feeds many outlet glaciers. The mountain itself, a stratovolcano, is 5,417 ft at its highest point, and has a crater 1.9–2.5 mi in diameter, open to the north. 

Closer view of the glacier.  You can see a faint trace of the rainbow on the right side of the picture.  

Picture of a plaque at the visitor center show the eruption: Eyjafjallajökull began to erupt on 14 April 2010.  A plume of volcanic ash was ejected into the atmosphere by this eruption, potentially causing a hazard for airplanes. UK airspace was closed from April 15–20, causing significant disruption, and was reopened following new guidelines about ash densities that could be tolerated by aircraft.

Tee shirt seen in almost every gift shop in Iceland.

Mýrdalsjökull (mire valley glacier) is to the north of Vík í Mýrdal and to the east of Eyjafjallajökull. 

The icecap of Mýrdalsjökull covers an active volcano called Katla. The caldera of the volcano has a diameter of 6 miles and the volcano erupts usually every 40–80 years. The last eruption took place in 1918. Scientists are actively monitoring the volcano, particularly after the eruption of nearby Eyjafjallajökull began in April 2010