HLJÓÐMYND – SOUNDIMAGE

Here is one of those recordings that I record without being directly aware of what will come out of it. Equipment is placed in a suitable location where the wind was minimal and left there for 30-40 minutes while taking a walk. So I really don’t know what is being recorded until much later when you have time to listen and process the recording.
In fact, I knew of a rockfall at this location and was rather afraid about leaving the equipment behind, because the ice cave that the recording equipment was in might as well collapse. Then there would be a mud and rock slide from the mountain slope that would submerge everything.
This ice cave was at the end of Breiðamerkurjökull icefall, in a place where the glacier was probably 300 meters thicker only 40 years ago when I first came to this part of Iceland. Now the glacier is not more than dirty, „dead“ ice. A lot of it is buried under sand and rocks.
For centuries, the glacier has scraped the slopes of the mountains in Suðursveit. When the glacier retreated, gravel and rocks fell from the mountain slopes on the glacier below, which then formed a thick insulating layer over the ice closest to the mountain slopes. Under normal circumstances for centuries, the advance of the glacier would have carried this gravel down to the glacier toe. But the glacier has for two decades stopped advancing in this place. The glacier has lost all its mass so it will not crawl anymore in this place. The glacier lies flat and dirty towards the sun in the south, thin and melts rapidly. However, the ice that is covered with gravel and rocks melts much more slowly. Therefore, e.g. still possible to see ice high up on the mountain slope of Vestur Miðfell, although it is probably 30-40 years since the glacier was there and reach so high in the mountain slope
The pleasant surprise of this recording was that the wind did not interfere with the recording. You can hear mudslides sliding down the ice-covered mountain slope with all kinds of sounds that sometimes remind of car traffic. Sharp clicks in the rock as it bounces all around the mic and in good headphones you can hear the rock bouncing over the mic.
You will hear people speaking in the distance, which was several hikers coming from the glacier.
You might hear a lot of „white noise“ in this recording but it is mainly coming from nearby rivers, the wind and rapidly melting glaciers which are usually astonishingly noisy when they melt fast .
Quality open headphones are recommended while listening at medium to high volume.
But be careful. This recording has a high dynamic range and can damage both speakers and your hearing if it is played too high.

(mp3 256kbps /62Mb)

Recorder: Sound devices MixPre6
Mics: Sennheiser MKH8020/8040. (2x2ch Baffled AB35)
Pic. Samsung S22

Location: 64.134056, -16.226150
Weather: cloudy, dry, up to 8 m/sec, 7°C,