Glacial river veins of Geirlandsá and Stjórm near Kirkjubaejarklaustur village, braiding their way through black volcanic sand, constantly creating new paths, intricately intertwined, and depositing a nutrients of various colors from melting glaciers. Iceland, Southern Region.

As the ice begins to melt, thousands of cool rivers run down with majestic elegance. Braided rivers consist of a network of river channels that carry vital nutrients for the ecosystem which they collect from the soil as they make their way from the glaciers towards the sea. The patterns are dynamic, changing gradually over time as the sediment slowly erodes to create new channels throughout the flat landscape.

These incredible spread throughout the vast flatlands of southern Iceland and only become visible from above as result of stunning contrasts between the coloured water and the surrounding black desert. They are real masterpieces in abstraction, often unknown to those who only see them from ground level.

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TIME: 6:54
DATE: aug/28
FILE SIZE: 55MP