Breiðamerkursandur
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Breiðamerkursandur is a sandur (e: glacial outwash plain) in southeast Iceland. Sandur is the Icelandic word for sand and the whole area is mostly sand, although some vegetation is beginning to grow in the area. The name of the sandur, Breiðamerkursandur, however means broad forest sand, which suggests that the area may have been heavily vegetated in the early centuries of the Icelandic settlement.[citation needed]
Breiðamerkursandur is located in the municipality of Hornafjörður. It was formed by the glaciers Breiðamerkurjökull, Fjallsjökull and Hrútárjökull during the last few centuries.[1] The lake Jökulsárlón is located on Breiðamerkursandur.
The glaciers that formed the sandur are a part of Vatnajökull, and therefore a part of Vatnajökull National Park. However, neither the plain itself nor the Jökulsárlón lake are a part of the park.[2]
Breiðamerkursandur is an important breeding ground for birds, for example Arctic tern and great skua.[3]
References
- ^ Breiðamerkursandur, Northern Environmental Education Development website, accessed 1 October 2012
- ^ "General Information Map". Vatnajökull National Park. Vatnajökull National Park. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ^ Hilmarsson, Jóhann Óli (2011). Icelandic bird guide (2nd ed.). Reykjavík: Mál og menning. p. 319. ISBN 978-9979-3-3220-6.
64°3′30″N 16°10′30″W / 64.05833°N 16.17500°W
 | This Iceland location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |