Crystal Shorelines.

At the edge of the Vatnajökull glacier, icebergs break away into the Jökulsárlón lagoon, drifting out to sea only to be polished by the tide and cast back onto pitch-black sands.

The "Diamond Beach" is a study in stark geological contrast. The sand is composed of basaltic lava, pulverized by millennia of Atlantic waves. When the crystalline ice chunks wash ashore, they glisten like jewels against the dark, volcanic grain—a visual representation of the island’s nickname: The Land of Fire and Ice.

Glacial Retreat & Lagoon Formation

Jökulsárlón is a relatively new feature of the Icelandic landscape. Until the early 1930s, the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier reached the sea. As the glacier retreated, it carved a deep depression that filled with meltwater and seawater, creating the deepest lake in Iceland. This lagoon acts as a conveyor belt, transporting ancient glacial ice into the open ocean.

Basaltic Evolution

The black sand found here is the result of explosive volcanic eruptions. When hot lava meets the freezing Atlantic water, it undergoes thermal shock and shatters into tiny fragments. Over time, the relentless energy of the tides grinds these fragments into the smooth, dark sand that defines Iceland's southern coast.