Diamond Beach is also known as Breiðamerkursandur in Icelandic. This iconic attraction takes its name from the glittering icebergs scattered across its shore like a field of diamonds. These stunning icebergs were once part of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. After breaking away, the blocks of ice floated lazily around Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon before ending up on Diamond Beach. The striking chunks of ice on Diamond Beach take on many different shapes, colours, and even sizes. Here you can admire larger-than-life blocks of ice in unique shades of azure blue or small, black chunks of ice. Many factors influence the colours the ice will take. Blue ice can signify age (older ice) and lack of air pockets. The black colouring can be volcanic dust or the sunlight reflecting the black sand from the beach.
Jökulsárlón (literally "glacial river lagoon") is a large glacial lake in southern part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland. Situated at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, it developed into a lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the glaciers. It is now 1.5 km (0.93 mi) away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). In 2009 it was reported to be the deepest lake in Iceland, at over 284 m (932 ft), as glacial retreat extended its boundaries. The size of the lake has increased fourfold since the 1970s.
Vatnajökull National Park is one of three national parks in Iceland. It encompasses all of Vatnajökull glacier and extensive surrounding areas. These include the national parks previously existing at Skaftafell in the southwest and Jökulsárgljúfur in the north. The unique qualities of Vatnajökull National Park are primarily its great variety of landscape features, created by the combined forces of rivers, glacial ice, and volcanic and geothermal activity.
