Earth & climate

Establishment of Vatnajökull National Park

7 June 2008

Vatnajökull National Park is the largest national park in Iceland, covering about a seventh of the country. It is centered on Vatnajökull, the largest ice cap in Europe by volume, beneath which lie active volcanoes such as Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga. The park includes Skaftafell, the canyon of Jökulsárgljúfur with the Dettifoss waterfall, one of the most powerful in Europe, and Ásbyrgi. The interaction between volcanism and ice is spectacular and sometimes causes sudden glacial floods called jökulhlaups. The glacial lagoon of Jökulsárlón lies just outside the park. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 2019, and the glacier is retreating because of climate warming.

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