Jökulsárlón is the greatest Glacier Lagoon in Iceland. It originates in Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, a large outlet glacier from the colossal Vatnajökull, the most voluminous ice cap in Europe, and was first formed in the 1940s when the glacier started receding from the coastline. The lagoon has expanded by 75 percent since the seventies and continues to grow at an expanding rate, a forewarning of the effects of climate change.

However, the lagoon has become a home to many species of animals - fish, birds and even seals enjoy the lagoon, where warm sea water flows in from the sea and melts the mammoth icebergs that calve from the glacier. As the water melts the underbelly of each iceberg, they topple over frequently when the top becomes heavier than the bottom. Sailing the lagoon can be dangerous for this reason, but experienced sailors give tours all year round, going to the edge of Breiðamnerkurjökull glacier.

South of the lagoon the icebergs fracture into smaller pieces that are scatterd on the coastline, which travellers now call The Diamond Beach.

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