Kolbeinsey

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Kolbeinsey is a tiny volcanic island 105 km off the northern coast of Iceland, 74 km North-Northwest of the island of Grímsey. The island is the northernmost point of Iceland at 67°08′09″N, 18°41′03″W. It is subject to heavy wave erosion and is bound to disappear in the near future, probably around the year 2020, as can be estimated from past erosion.

The size at the beginning of the year 2001 was a mere 90 m², which would correspond to the size of a circle of less than 11 m diameter, or the area overbuilt by a residential building, without garden. The original size of the island is unknown. When it was first measured in 1616, its size was 700 m North-South and 100 m East-West. By 1903, it had already diminished to half that size. In August of 1985, the size was given as 39 m across. The island is up to 8 m high.

There is a helicopter landing place on the island.

[edit] News of 2006

News from March 11, 2006 state that helicopters cannot not land on Kolbeinsey any more. It was found that almost a half of the heliport which was laid with concrete in 1989 to strengthen the islet, got destroyed by the separation a large piece of rock from the rest of the island. From this small islet all the time break away pieces of rocks and disappear in the sea. Kolbeinsey may disappear completely much sooner than originally expected.