Skjálfandi
Encyclopedia
Skjálfandi, geologically more a bay than a fjord
, is located in the North of Iceland
. The word Skjálfandi literally translates to "trembling" which might refer to earthquake
s which do occur quite frequently. Though most of them cannot really be noticed; they are only registered by seismographs.
The bay, originally created by glacial activity, has two major streams flowing into it: Skjálfandafljót
, which is a glacier river and Laxá
, which is a freshwater river. The river Laxá is famous for its salmon (lax in Icelandic translates to salmon) and part of the river is protected by the Ramsar Convention.
The only town in Skjálfandi Bay is Húsavík
, facing the picturesque Víknafjöll and Kinnarfjöll , the mountain ranges on the other side of the bay, whose top is covered with snow year round. The highest point reaches around 1200 m.
The bay is famous for the abundance of different whale
, dolphins and bird species, which can best be observed during the whale watching
trips departing Húsavík.
The Swede Garðar Svavarsson, was the first Scandinavian to settle in Iceland around 860. He built a house in Skjálfandi, but spent only the following winter months there before leaving Iceland.
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
, is located 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...
. The word Skjálfandi literally translates to "trembling" which might refer to earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s which do occur quite frequently. Though most of them cannot really be noticed; they are only registered by seismographs.
The bay, originally created by glacial activity, has two major streams flowing into it: Skjálfandafljót
Skjálfandafljót
The River Skjálfandafljót is situated in the north of Iceland.It has its source at the northwestern border of the icecap Vatnajökull on the Highlands of Iceland...
, which is a glacier river and Laxá
Laxå
Laxå is a locality and the seat of Laxå Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 3,307 inhabitants in 2005.-History:The town was founded in the mid-19th century when the main line railway between Gothenburg and Stockholm was built in 1883. Laxå is situated exactly 226 km from both those...
, which is a freshwater river. The river Laxá is famous for its salmon (lax in Icelandic translates to salmon) and part of the river is protected by the Ramsar Convention.
The only town in Skjálfandi Bay is Húsavík
Húsavík
Húsavík is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,237 inhabitants.-Overview:The income of the inhabitants is derived from tourism and fishing, as well as retail and small industry...
, facing the picturesque Víknafjöll and Kinnarfjöll , the mountain ranges on the other side of the bay, whose top is covered with snow year round. The highest point reaches around 1200 m.
The bay is famous for the abundance of different whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
, dolphins and bird species, which can best be observed during the whale watching
Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
trips departing Húsavík.
The Swede Garðar Svavarsson, was the first Scandinavian to settle in Iceland around 860. He built a house in Skjálfandi, but spent only the following winter months there before leaving Iceland.
