Vatnajökull

Vatnajökull (vät'näyö'kʊl), glacier, c.3,150 sq mi (8,160 sq km), SE Iceland; largest glacier in Europe. At an elevation of from 4,200 to 6,100 ft (1,280-1,860 m), it covers a huge volcanic plateau, which includes the Grím,svötn caldera, Iceland's third largest. It descends in some 40 branches into adjoining valleys. Some peaks rise above the ice, notably Öraefajökull.