With its long and winding shape, the Vatnajokull ice cave hidden under Iceland's largest glacier is known as the "Anaconda Ice Cave".
Anaconda ice cave under Vatnajokull glacier, Iceland. Photo: Arctic Adventures
Located in Vatnajokull National Park, the Anaconda Ice Caves are stunningly beautiful with their smooth, blue ice. Glacier caves get their unique blue color from the pressure of compressing the ice. This process pushes all the air out of the ice, which would normally make it appear white instead of blue.
"It's the result of hundreds of years of falling snowflakes compressing and recrystallizing into ice. During this process, air bubbles trapped in the ice are pushed out," says Arctic Adventures, which organizes tours of Vatnajökull National Park.
"When a block of ice is too dense to contain air, light travels deeper. The deeper the light travels, the more red light is lost along the way, making the ice appear blue to the human eye. That's why the ice of Iceland's glaciers is so magically blue," Arctic Adventures further explains.
The blue can become more vibrant on the cave ceiling when light shines through, making the ice appear to glow. The unfrozen blue ice is also sometimes mixed with gray, white, and black volcanic ash deposits, creating complex, undulating color combinations along the cave walls.
Anaconda ice caves are glacier caves, as opposed to true ice caves (cave filled with ice). They form when the ice of a glacier melts and water flows, creating smooth tunnels. This is why glacier caves like the Anaconda have such uniquely smooth walls.
Visitors can walk right into the “belly of the python” with local tour companies. The traditional season for visiting runs from November to March, when the weather is cold enough to keep the glacier caves stable. Warmer weather in the summer can make the caves dangerous as the ice continues to melt, although some caves remain frozen year-round.
The volatile nature of Iceland’s glacier caves means they constantly change shape and structure, making each visit unique. This also makes it exciting for guides who return later in the summer to look for new caves or tunnels to form.
Thu Thao (According to IFL Science )
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