Vatnajokull drapes a broad ice dome over south-east Iceland, hiding two active volcanoes beneath hundreds of metres of ice and calving into the Jokulsarlon lagoon at its southern edge. Toggle the iceberg lagoon and the subglacial volcano markers.
Published figures: area about 7,700 sq km (about 8% of Iceland); ice thickness up to about 950 m; roughly 30 outlet glaciers radiate from the dome; the Jokulsarlon lagoon has grown deep and wide as the terminus retreats.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Vatnajokull 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows Vatnajokull as a broad ice dome draped over irregular ground, with two active volcanoes hidden beneath the ice and a calving front feeding icebergs into the Jokulsarlon lagoon at the southern edge. Toggle the lagoon and the subglacial volcano markers.
Vatnajokull is Europe's largest ice cap by volume, covering about 7,700 sq km of south-east Iceland - roughly 8% of the country's land area. Beneath the ice sit two of Iceland's most active volcanoes, Grimsvotn and Bardarbunga, whose heat periodically melts pathways through hundreds of metres of ice above them. At the ice cap's southern edge, the Breidamerkurjokull outlet glacier has retreated since the 1930s and 1940s, leaving behind the Jokulsarlon lagoon, where calved icebergs drift before washing out to the nearby Diamond Beach.
- Toggle the iceberg lagoon to see calved ice floating at the glacier's retreating terminus
- Toggle the subglacial volcano markers to see where Grimsvotn and Bardarbunga sit hidden beneath the ice
- Read area, thickness, outlet-glacier, and heritage figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Area | about 7,700 sq km - roughly 8% of Iceland's land area, the largest ice cap in Europe by volume |
| Ice thickness | up to about 950 m at its deepest |
| Subglacial volcanoes | Grimsvotn (Iceland's most frequently erupting volcano, triggering periodic glacial floods) and Bardarbunga (fed the 2014-2015 Holuhraun fissure eruption) |
| Outlet glaciers | about 30 named outlet glaciers radiate from the main ice cap down toward the lowlands |
| Jokulsarlon lagoon | formed since the 1930s-40s as Breidamerkurjokull retreated; one of Iceland's deepest lakes, still growing |
| Highest edge peak | Hvannadalshnukur, on the Oraefajokull outlet at the ice cap's southern rim, about 2,110 m - Iceland's highest point |
| Heritage status | Vatnajokull National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019 |
For other ice landscapes, open the Perito Moreno Glacier 3D Explorer to see an actively advancing glacier tongue, or for another hidden-volcano landform try the Mount Vesuvius 3D Explorer.
The whole scene - the ice dome, the subglacial terrain beneath it, the calving front, and the Jokulsarlon lagoon - is built and drawn on your own device with WebGL through the site-vendored three.js engine. Orbit the scene to see the dome's broad shield shape, and toggle the volcano markers to see where the heat sources sit beneath the ice. Nothing about your visit is uploaded to a server, and the engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is then cached.
This is an educational approximation - the ice-dome relief, subglacial terrain, and lagoon geometry are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is Vatnajokull?
About 7,700 sq km, roughly 8% of Iceland's land area - the largest ice cap in Europe by volume, with ice up to about 950 m thick in places.
Are there really volcanoes under the ice?
Yes. Grimsvotn, Iceland's most frequently erupting volcano, and Bardarbunga, which fed the 2014-2015 Holuhraun fissure eruption, both sit hidden beneath hundreds of metres of ice.
What is the Jokulsarlon lagoon?
A glacial lagoon at the ice cap's southern edge that has grown since the 1930s-40s as the Breidamerkurjokull outlet glacier retreated. Calved icebergs drift in the lagoon before washing out toward the nearby Diamond Beach.
How many outlet glaciers does Vatnajokull have?
About 30 named outlet glaciers flow outward from the main ice dome down toward the surrounding lowlands.
Is Vatnajokull protected?
Yes. Vatnajokull National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the ice-dome relief, subglacial terrain, and lagoon geometry are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.