Hofsjökull

Ice cap and volcano in Iceland
64°49′N 18°49′W / 64.817°N 18.817°W / 64.817; -18.817Area830 km2 (320 sq mi)[2]Thicknessup to 1,100 m (3,600 ft)Highest elevation1,782 metres (5,846 ft)Lowest elevation600 metres (2,000 ft)TerminusFrom due north clockwise Austari-Jökulsárjökull, Illviðrajökull, Löngukvíslarjökull, Miklafellsjökull, Háöldujökull, Þjórsárjökull, Rótarjökull, Múlajökull, Nauthagajökull, Miklukvíslarjökull, Blautkvíslarjökull, Þverfellsjökull, Brattöldujökull, Blágnípujökull, Blöndujökull, Kvíslajökull, Álftabrekkujökull, Sátujökull, Lambahraunsjökull, and Tvífellsjökull outlet glaciers[3]StatusRetreating
Map
Map of Hofsjökull glacier showing its named glacial catchments (light grey shading with white outline). Clicking on the map to enlarge it enables mouse over that allows identification of individual named glacial catchments in Iceland.
The picture shows Arnarfell hiðmikla (Great Eagle Mountain) in the middle, Múlajökull glacier to the left and Þjórsárjökull glacier to the right.

Hofsjökull (Icelandic: "temple glacier", Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhɔfsˌjœːkʏtl̥] ⓘ) is the third largest ice cap in Iceland after Vatnajökull and Langjökull and covers the largest active central volcano in the country, which has the same name.[4][2] It is situated in the west of the Highlands of Iceland and north of the mountain range Kerlingarfjöll, between the two largest glaciers of Iceland.

Glacier

It covers an area of 830 km2 (320 sq mi),[2] with the icecap top being 1,782 metres (5,846 ft),[1] and bottom being at about 600 m (2,000 ft).[5] There are other summits relating to the underlying volcano with two being at 1,765 m (5,791 ft).[6][1] Hofsjökull is the source of several rivers including the Þjórsá, Iceland's longest river.[7]

Changes

While all ice caps in Iceland have been losing volume since 1995, due to high precipitation in 2015 and low ablation during the previous cool summer, the Hofsjökull ice cap increased in mass, the first time in 20 years this had happened.[8] Between 1989 and 2015, even allowing for that last years increase, the icecap had lost about 12% of its 1989 volume which is close to 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi) of ice.[9] Hofsjökull has been modelled to lose all its ice in about 200 years from studies using data between 1980 and 2005.[10] Run off into the draining rivers is modelled to increase by about 50% by 2100 before decreasing due to diminishing area of the ice caps.[11]

Volcano

The subglacial volcano is a central volcano with a caldera. Beyond the central volcano are fissure systems which include to the south the Kerlingarfjöll central volcano.[12]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Disambiguation note:In the south-east of Iceland, on the eastern borders of the district of Lónsöræfi between the easternmost glacier tongue of Vatnajökull (Axajökull) and Þrándarjökull, there is a smaller glacier (area about 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi), height 1,069 m (3,507 ft)), which is also called Hofsjökull.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "National Land Survey of Iceland (Kortasja)". 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  2. ^ a b c Björnsson 2017, p. 275.
  3. ^ Sigurðsson & Williams 2008, pp. 13–14.
  4. ^ Thordurson & Hoskuldsson 2002, p. 72.
  5. ^ Aðalgeirsdóttir et al. 2006, 2. Data.
  6. ^ National Land Survey of Iceland (2001). "National Land Survey of Iceland – Geographical information". Archived from the original on 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  7. ^ Thordurson & Hoskuldsson 2002, p. 83.
  8. ^ Þorsteinsson 2015.
  9. ^ Þorsteinsson 2015, The annual balance.
  10. ^ Aðalgeirsdóttir et al. 2006, 6.2. Response to Climate Change.
  11. ^ Aðalgeirsdóttir et al. 2006, 9. Conclusions.
  12. ^ Hjartardóttir & Einarsson 2021, Introduction.

Sources

  • Thordurson, Thor; Hoskuldsson, Armann (2002). Classic Geology in Europe 3: Iceland. Harpenden, England: Terra Publishing. ISBN 1-903544-06-8.
  • Þorsteinsson, Þorsteinn (2015). "Hofsjökull ice cap gains mass For the first time in twenty years the Hofsjökull ice cap gains mass". Archived from the original on 2023-12-22.
  • Aðalgeirsdóttir, G.; Jóhannesson, T.; Björnsson, H.; Pálsson, F.; Sigurðsson, O. (2006). "Response of Hofsjökull and southern Vatnajökull, Iceland, to climate change". Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 111: F3001. doi:10.1029/2005JF000388.
  • Hjartardóttir, Á.R.; Einarsson, P. (2021). "Tectonic position, structure, and Holocene activity of the Hofsjökull volcanic system, central Iceland". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 417: 107277. Bibcode:2021JVGR..41707277H. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2021.107277.
  • Björnsson, H. (2017). "Glaciers of the Central Highlands". The Glaciers of Iceland Atlantis Advances in Quaternary Science. Vol. 2. Atlantis Press, Paris. pp. 275–336. doi:10.2991/978-94-6239-207-6_6. ISBN 978-94-6239-207-6.
  • Sigurðsson, Oddur; Williams, Richard S. (2008). "Geographic Names of Iceland's Glaciers:Historic and Modern". In Richard S. Williams Jr.; Jane G. Ferrigno (eds.). Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World series (U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386-D (PDF). Retrieved 15 May 2024.

External links

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64°49′N 18°49′W / 64.817°N 18.817°W / 64.817; -18.817