Krýsuvík
Encyclopedia
The geothermal area Krýsuvík is situated on the Reykjanes
peninsula in Iceland
. It is in the south of Reykjanes in the middle of the fissure
zone on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
which traverses Iceland diagonally from the south-west to the north-east of the island.
Krýsuvík is one of Iceland's high temperature areas. This becomes visible through the sulphur
springs and hot spring
s at Seltún and another similar area nearby.
At Seltún, one finds by now some explanations to the phenomena to see, a wooden show path and hiking trails leading up the mountain Sveifluháls behind.
The biggest lake in the area, Kleifarvatn
, began to diminish after a big earthquake in 2000; 20% of its surface has since disappeared.
Some of the minor lakes show also the influence of volcanism
, so for example Grænavatn with its luminous green colour.
In this area, there had been some farms till the 19th century. But they had to be given up. Only a small chapel
, Krísuvíkurkirkja built in 1857, remained until it burned to the ground on January 2, 2010.
Reykjanes
Reykjanes or Reykjanesskagi is a peninsula and a volcanic system situated at the south-western end of Iceland, near the capital of Reykjavík....
peninsula in 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...
. It is in the south of Reykjanes in the middle of the fissure
Fissure vent
A fissure vent, also known as a volcanic fissure or simply fissure, is a linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts, usually without any explosive activity. The vent is usually a few meters wide and may be many kilometers long. Fissure vents can cause large flood basalts and lava channels...
zone on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South...
which traverses Iceland diagonally from the south-west to the north-east of the island.
Krýsuvík is one of Iceland's high temperature areas. This becomes visible through the sulphur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
springs and hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s at Seltún and another similar area nearby.
At Seltún, one finds by now some explanations to the phenomena to see, a wooden show path and hiking trails leading up the mountain Sveifluháls behind.
Kleifarvatn
Kleifarvatn is the largest lake on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland, situated in the southern part of the peninsula on the fissure zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The lake can be reached via a track, and there are two areas with high temperature that can be found not far from it: Seltún/Krýsuvík...
, began to diminish after a big earthquake in 2000; 20% of its surface has since disappeared.
Some of the minor lakes show also the influence of volcanism
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....
, so for example Grænavatn with its luminous green colour.
In this area, there had been some farms till the 19th century. But they had to be given up. Only a small chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, Krísuvíkurkirkja built in 1857, remained until it burned to the ground on January 2, 2010.