Dyrhólaey
Encyclopedia
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, or promontory, Dyrhólaey (120m) (formerly known as Cape Portland by English seamen) is located on the south coast of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, not far from Vík í Mýrdal
Vík í Mýrdal
The village of Vík is the southernmost village in Iceland, located on the main ring road around the island, around by road SSE of Reykjavík....
. It was formerly an island of volcanic origin, which is also known by the Icelandic word eyja meaning island.
The view from up there is interesting: To the north is to be seen the big glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
Mýrdalsjökull
Mýrdalsjökull
Mýrdalsjökull mire dale glacier" or " mire valley glacier") is a glacier in the south of Iceland. It is situated to the north of Vík í Mýrdal and to the east of the smaller glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Between these two glaciers is Fimmvörðuháls pass. Its peak reaches in height and in 1980 it covered...
. To the east, the black lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
columns of the Reynisdrangar
Reynisdrangar
Reynisdrangar are basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall near the village Vík í Mýrdal, southern Iceland.Legend says that the stacks originated when two trolls dragged a three-masted ship to land unsuccessfully and when daylight broke they became needles of rock.-External links:*...
come out of the sea, and to the west the whole coastline in the direction of Selfoss
Selfoss (town)
Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of Ölfusá river.It is part, and seat, of the municipality Árborg. The Ring Road runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella...
is visible - depending on weather conditions. In front of the peninsula, there is a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea, which gave the peninsula its name (meaning: the hill-island with the door-hole).
In the summertime, many puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
s nest on the cliff faces of Dyrhólaey.
A stunt pilot (Tomme Tailor) is said to have flown through the arch at Dyrhólaey.
See also: Volcanism in Iceland