Jökull - 01.12.1983, Page 92

Fig. 4. Glacial geomorphology in Fáskrúdsfjördur and Stödvarfjördur. 1. Accumulation zone: mountain
slopes, hanging valleys, corries and depressions are shown with broad broken lines, while 2. arrows show
direction of ílow of glaciers from them and along the fjords. 3. Contour lines show probable thickness of
the main glacier. 4. In cross hatched areas it is likely that there have always been some ice free areas.
Mynd 4. Jöklalandmótun í Fáskrúðsjirði og Stöðvarjirði. J'ókulsafnsvaðin: 1. Fjallshlíðar, hangandi dalir, botnar og
skálar eru synd með breiðum h'ókuðum línum. 2. Orvarnar syna skriðstefnu j'óklanna út frá þeim og út fuðina. 3.
Jafnhœðarlínumar syna líklega þykkt aðalj'ókulsins. 4. A skástrikuðu svœðunum er líklegt, að alltaf hafi verið einhver
ísvana svæði.
large valley glaciers flowing out ofvalleys or fjords
on either side ofthem. Sudgen andJohn (1976) cite the
promontories of the western fjords as being typical
for this development (p. 207). It is likely that the
proportion of alpine glacier areas has increased
throughout Quaternary time, gladal periods have
become more frequent and glacial erosion has in-
creased.
According to Fig. 3 one quarter of the country,
just over 26000 km2, is eroded by alpine glaciers.
Normally there are some ice free areas in alpine
glaciers. They appear as horns, serrated ridges,
steep slopes or promontories. Even so it cannot be
discounted that some of those alpine areas shown on
Fig. 3, have at times been completely covered by ice,
and then as independent ice centres. On the other
hand it is equally possible that there have always
been some nunataks and ice free patches in large
alpine glaciers, such as in the eastern fjords, south-
east Iceland, Snæfellsnes, the western fjords and
Tröllaskagi.
Figure 4 is a map of Fáskrúdsfjördur and Stödv-
arfjördur. They are taken as being typical of those
landforms formed by alpine glaciers. The accum-
ulation zones of the glaciers, hanging valleys, corr-
ies and depressions in the mountain slopes are spec-
ially indicated on the map as well as the direction of
flow of the glaciers from them. There is no evidence
in the landforms that glaciers from the central high-
land have ílowed in these fjords, so that they have
been independent accumulation zones of alpine
glaciers which have produced valley or fjord glaci-
ers as shown in Fig. 4. It can be judged with some
certainty, how far the accumulation glaciers ílowed

90 JÖKULL 33. ÁR