Snfellsjokull

Story & Folklore

Snæfellsjökull is Iceland's most mythologised glacier — a 1,446-metre volcanic peak capped in eternal ice at the tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Jules Verne chose it as the entrance to the centre of the Earth in his 1864 novel. New Age adherents rank it as one of the world's seven energy centres. Scientists know it sits atop one of Iceland's most active volcanic systems, with the last eruption approximately 1,800 years ago. The glacier and surrounding lava fields have been a national park since 2001. On the rare clear days when the cloud lifts, the ice cap is visible from Reykjavík, 100 kilometres across the bay. The glacier is retreating: some glaciologists predict it will disappear within 100 years.