Braided Rivers

The glaciers and ice caps of Iceland cover over 10% of the land mass. As they melt, especially in the summer months, the outflow forms networks of river channels which flow from the glaciers towards the sea, carrying sediment and volcanic soil. When the flow of the rivers subsides, sediment settles on the river bed, leaving behind small temporary islands of dark volcanic sand that cause the channels of the rivers to split. The always changing rivers systems can be several kilometers wide so it is only possible to see these patterns from an aerial perspective.