Reykjahlíð
Encyclopedia
The village of Reykjahlíð has approximately 300 inhabitants and is situated on the shores of Lake Mývatn
in the north of Iceland
. It is the seat of the municipality of Skútustaðahreppur
.
Krafla
in 1729, the village was destroyed by a lava
stream. However, the inhabitants were saved when the lava flow stopped in front of the village church on higher ground, allegedly as the result of the prayers of the village priest. The church is still there, although the present building dates from 1972.
springs can still be seen. Not far from there is the crater Víti (meaning "hell" in Icelandic
), but looking today rather harmless with a blue lake at its bottom. Its apparent tranquility belies the fact that its last eruption was as recent as 1976.
Other interesting places are on the lake itself, like the volcano Hverfjall, the pseudo-craters of Skútusstaðir and Dimmuborgir (a strange lava formation).
A local airport provides sightseeing during the summer.
A plant for extraction and processing of diatomite was a main point in local economy until 2004 when it was shut down.
Mývatn
Nature Baths opened on the 30th of June 2004. The warm, soothing waters of Myvatn Nature Baths contain a unique blend of minerals, silicates and geothermal microorganisms, which are beneficial to the skin.
Mývatn
Mývatn is a shallow eutrophic lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from Krafla volcano. The lake and its surrounding wetlands have an exceptionally rich fauna of waterbirds, especially ducks...
in the north 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...
. It is the seat of the municipality of Skútustaðahreppur
Skútustaðahreppur
Skútustaðahreppur, also named Skútustaðir, is a rural municipality located in East Iceland, in Norðurland eystra.Its seat is in the village of Reykjahlíð and, as of 2011, the population was of 386.-Geography:...
.
Overview
During the so-called Mývatn fires, caused by the eruption of the nearby volcanoVolcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
Krafla
Krafla
Krafla is a caldera of about 10 km in diameter with a 90 km long fissure zone, in the north of Iceland in the Mývatn region. Its highest peak reaches up to 818 m and it is 2 km in depth. There have been 29 reported eruptions in recorded history....
in 1729, the village was destroyed by a 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...
stream. However, the inhabitants were saved when the lava flow stopped in front of the village church on higher ground, allegedly as the result of the prayers of the village priest. The church is still there, although the present building dates from 1972.
Main sights
From Reykjahlíð, it is possible to go to many sights in the area, most notably Krafla. The volcano last erupted in 1984, but the vapour of a warm lava field and of sulphurSulfur
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 can still be seen. Not far from there is the crater Víti (meaning "hell" in Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
), but looking today rather harmless with a blue lake at its bottom. Its apparent tranquility belies the fact that its last eruption was as recent as 1976.
Other interesting places are on the lake itself, like the volcano Hverfjall, the pseudo-craters of Skútusstaðir and Dimmuborgir (a strange lava formation).
A local airport provides sightseeing during the summer.
A plant for extraction and processing of diatomite was a main point in local economy until 2004 when it was shut down.
Mývatn
Mývatn
Mývatn is a shallow eutrophic lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from Krafla volcano. The lake and its surrounding wetlands have an exceptionally rich fauna of waterbirds, especially ducks...
Nature Baths opened on the 30th of June 2004. The warm, soothing waters of Myvatn Nature Baths contain a unique blend of minerals, silicates and geothermal microorganisms, which are beneficial to the skin.