Iceland – Sandur Plains near Skaftafell National Park


Verzweigte Flussarme auf den Sandurflächen beim Skaftafell von oben

On the way to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, just before Skaftafell National Park, the black sandur plains appeared, marked by ash and stones from past volcanic eruptions and criss-crossed by countless small rivulets. I had long been looking forward to sending the drone up here.

The sandur plains from the air

From above, the black earth turns into graphics: bright, glittering watercourses running like veins through the dark sand. How much power lies in this plain became clear in 1996: after an eruption beneath the glacier at Grímsvötn, a glacial flood carrying huge blocks of ice badly damaged the bridge over the Skeiðará. Two twisted steel girders still stand by the Ring Road as a memorial.

Dark sandur plain with patches of snow in front of a table mountain
Black sand and patches of snow in front of a table mountain – the Skeiðarársandur.
Skeiðarársandur with branching river channels and mountains in the fog from the air
Branching river channels on the outwash plain, the mountains in fog.
Branching meltwater channels in the snow on the Skeiðarársandur from above
From above, the black earth becomes a graphic – channels like veins in the snow.
Wide sandur plain with mountains on the horizon from the air
The wide outwash plain, mountains on the horizon.
Ring Road bridge over a river on the sandur, straight from above
The Ring Road crosses the river on a bridge.
Road and bridge over snowy river channels, straight from above
Road and bridge over snowy river channels, straight down from above.
Winding river channels on the sandur in portrait format from the air
Winding channels run across the outwash plain.
Braid of channels in the snow on the Skeiðarársandur from above
A braid of channels drawn in ash and snow.
Panorama of the snowy sandur plain under clouds from the air
The whole panorama: the snowy outwash plain under clouds.
Parallel river channels in the snow, straight from above
Parallel channels in the snow, as if drawn with a comb.
Wide river between snowy channels on the sandur from the air
A broad river between snowy channels – on this plain, a glacial flood badly damaged the bridge over the Skeiðará in 1996.
Sandur plain with river channels in the haze from the air
River channels fading into the haze.

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