A remarkable change can be seen in this animation of two satellite images of Iceland's ice caps taken 28 years apart.

Located on top of active volcanoes, the ice caps are known as the Mýrdalsjökull andEyjafjallajökull, . The larger white ice cap isMýrdalsjökull, and the smaller Eyjafjallajökull lies to the left in the image.

Not only can you see the ice retreat by comparing the satellite images taken in 1986 and 2014, but you can also see the ice looking browner, or less bright, in the latter image. The USGS reports that the brown bands in the ice shown on the Sept. 20, 2014, image are volcanic ash and other deposits from past eruptions that have become visible due to the ice caps shrinking.

The Katla volcano that lies under theMýrdalsjökull ice cap last erupted in 1918, and erupts every 40-80 years based on past history.Eyjafjallajökull erupted more recently in 2010. Ash from that eruption .

The USGS says that 40 years of Landsat satellite images such as these have allowed them to monitor glaciers around the Earth for changes over time.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Aerial Images of Iceland

These abstract photos may look like paintings or a view through a microscope, but they are aerial photos of Icelandic river formations. (Emmanuel Coupe-Kalomiris)