Esja
Encyclopedia
The mountain Esja often called Esjan ("the Esja") is situated in the south-west of Iceland
, about 10 km to the north of Iceland's capital city Reykjavík
. Esja is not a single mountain, but a volcanic
mountain range, made from basalt
and tuff-stone.
with the beginning of the Ice Age
. During the warm periods, lava
flowed and in the cold periods tuff-stone ridges were built under the glacier
. The western part of the mountain range is the oldest (about 3.2 million years) and the eastern part is the youngest (about 1.8 million years). The movements of the plate boundaries
cutting diagonally through Iceland are pushing the stratum
s to the west and away from the active volcanic zone. Intrusion
s, i.e. big magma
channels coming from the old central volcanoes at Kjalarnes and Stardal, introduced themselves into the stratums. Big lava fields were the result, one above the other, which the Ice Age glacier ground down. It left only the highest summits like the mountain range of Esja or Akrafjall.
stone, often to be found in Icelandic nature near old (and also active) central volcanoes.
The path is divided into sections, marked with signs along the way. Each sign gives an indication of the difficulty of the path ahead with a grade system ranging from 1 boot (easy) to 3 boots (challenging). At sign 3 experienced climbers can choose to climb directly to the top, instead of following the path which goes off to the right. Approximately 200 meters below the top, there is a point marked with a big rock called Steinn. It is here that most inexperienced climbers choose to go down again, as the path becomes increasingly difficult from there.
The highest point is called, "Habunga" (914 m.). From Þverfellshorn, it is another three kilometer trek north-east, across a rocky plateau with no directional signs or clear path. As of August 2011, Habunga was marked only by a large rock mound with a wooden stick at the top.
Esja can be used as a first name in Iceland. The etymology of the name is unclear. In the Kjalnesingasaga, among Irish settlers there is a rich widow called Esja but probably, aitiologically, the women's name is derived from the mountain and not vice-versa.
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...
, about 10 km to the north of Iceland's capital city Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. Esja is not a single mountain, but a volcanic
Volcanism
Volcanism is the phenomenon connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity. It includes all phenomena resulting from and causing magma within the crust or mantle of a planet to rise through the crust and form volcanic rocks on the surface....
mountain range, made from basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
and tuff-stone.
Formation
Esja was built up at the end of the PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
with the beginning of the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. During the warm periods, 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...
flowed and in the cold periods tuff-stone ridges were built under the 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...
. The western part of the mountain range is the oldest (about 3.2 million years) and the eastern part is the youngest (about 1.8 million years). The movements of the plate boundaries
Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere...
cutting diagonally through Iceland are pushing the stratum
Stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
s to the west and away from the active volcanic zone. Intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
s, i.e. big magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
channels coming from the old central volcanoes at Kjalarnes and Stardal, introduced themselves into the stratums. Big lava fields were the result, one above the other, which the Ice Age glacier ground down. It left only the highest summits like the mountain range of Esja or Akrafjall.
Physical features
The easternmost summits of the mountain range, called Móskarðshnúkar, are of an unusually light colour. An Icelandic writer in the 19th century, so goes the story, hoped to see the sun there after a long period of rain. But when he looked closer, it was only the mountain tops with their colours. In reality, it is the rhyoliteRhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
stone, often to be found in Icelandic nature near old (and also active) central volcanoes.
Hiking and climbing
Within easy reach of the capital, Esja is a very popular recreation area for hikers and climbers. The best known hiking paths lead to the summits Þverfellshorn (780 m) and Kerhólakambur (851 m). Þverfellshorn is also easily accessible by public transport.The path is divided into sections, marked with signs along the way. Each sign gives an indication of the difficulty of the path ahead with a grade system ranging from 1 boot (easy) to 3 boots (challenging). At sign 3 experienced climbers can choose to climb directly to the top, instead of following the path which goes off to the right. Approximately 200 meters below the top, there is a point marked with a big rock called Steinn. It is here that most inexperienced climbers choose to go down again, as the path becomes increasingly difficult from there.
The highest point is called, "Habunga" (914 m.). From Þverfellshorn, it is another three kilometer trek north-east, across a rocky plateau with no directional signs or clear path. As of August 2011, Habunga was marked only by a large rock mound with a wooden stick at the top.
Esja can be used as a first name in Iceland. The etymology of the name is unclear. In the Kjalnesingasaga, among Irish settlers there is a rich widow called Esja but probably, aitiologically, the women's name is derived from the mountain and not vice-versa.