Jökull - 01.12.1970, Blaðsíða 53

Fig. 1. Vatnajökull according to the maps of the Geodaetic Instistute. The hatched area re-
presents Breidamerkurjökull and its accumulation area. I. Mávabyggdajökull, II. Esjufjallajökull
and III. Nordlingalaegdarjökull.
Mynd 1. Vatnajökull samkvœmt korti danska herforingjaráðsins. Breiðamerkurjökull og safn-
svœði hans er skástrikað. I. Safnsvæði Mávabyggðajökuls, II. Safnsvæði Esjufjallajökuls og III.
Safnsvæði Norðlingalægðarjökuls.
Vatnajökull (Fig. 1), which is 8538 km2 (Thor-
arinsson 1958). The area of nunataks in the
glacier is included in these figures except for
the area of Breidamerkurfjall, which is exclud-
ed in the figure for Breidamerkurjökull.
The area of nunataks in Vatnajökull is near
to 63 km2. The Geodaetic Institute maps of
Vatnajökull were compiled in the years 1903—
1938. They do not render its exact size at any
particular time, since considerable glacier re-
duction occurred during this period of tinre.
Actually Breidamerkurjökull is composed of
three main glaciers with clearly defined accu-
mulation areas (Fig. 1). For distinction these
areas will be named Nordlingalaegdarjökull,
Esjufjallajökull and Mávabyggdajökull. The
nunataks Mávabyggdir and Esjufjöll keep these
glaciers separated where they creep down frorn
the plateau (Fig. 2).
The glacier lobes coalesce in a broad valley
plain extending to the north-east between
Breidamerkurfjall in Öraefajökull to the west
and the Sudursveitarfjöll (Fellsfjall ancl Vedur-
árdalsfjöll) to the east (Fig. 3). Yet the medial
moraines clearly indicate the extent of each
glacier lobe (Fig. 2) where they creep parallel
down the valley, but inevitably the creep and
extent of each individual glacier lobe is there
dependent on their interplay. Some smaller
valley glaciers and cirques from the Esjufjöll
and Sudursveitarfjöll also coalesce into the main
ice stream of Breidamerkurjökull (Figs. 2 and 3).
JÖKULL 20. ÁR 51