Fimmvörðuháls

Fimmvörðuháls ( [ fim ː ˌ ˌ vœrðʏ hauls ] ) is a plateau in the south of Iceland.

It lies between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull in the west and in the east Mýrdalsjökull. To the north of the Fimmvörðuháls borders the Þórsmörk, south to the Skógarheiði.

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Name

The name means to German neck of the five stone men.

In the book Þórsmörk. Country og saga of the Head of Skógar Museum, Þórður Tómasson, there is a chapter on the autumn of sheep from the highlands. There is described that although the much-used path through the pass between the glaciers was very popular, it is denoted as left to be desired but left, apart from the five men standing stone close together on the pass. These were so close together to pave the way to have people in fog, as there is always the danger of getting lost on the glacier itself and so to be in danger.

Geological description of the Fimmvörðuháls

Location of Fimmvörðuháls

The Fimmvörðuháls belong to the active eastern volcanic zone of Iceland, stretching from the Westman Islands Eyjafjalla and Mýrdalsjökull way up to Vatnajökull and the Grímsvötn. This volcanic zone is further subdivided into several volcanic systems with their columns swarms and central volcanoes, said the Mýrdalsjökull north almost reaching the Grímsvötn.

The 1116 m high pass Fimmvörðuháls is located directly between the two volcanoes Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull in the West or in the East are each from him. Transverse columns connect to the Fimmvörðuháls the two glacier volcanoes.

In modern times, Grimsvotn, Hekla and Mýrdalsjökull were the most active volcanic systems in Iceland. In these systems, both enormous effusive and explosive eruptions occurred.

The Eyjafjallajökull produced material of a different chemical composition than the material of Mýrdalsjökull and is therefore usually not attributed to this system. Nevertheless, there is obviously a connection between the two, since the few eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in the last 1000 years always also had outbreaks of Mýrdalsjökull result.

The crater rows

On the pass Fimmvörðuháls numerous crater rows and Palagonitrücken lie parallel to each other. You are unusually aligned from west to east and so connect the systems of Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull.

The area was covered in cold periods of the Ice Age until about 11,000 years ago by a glacier. The age of the crater was somewhat controversial, some scientists hypothesized that the crater rows of warm periods of the Ice Age come. The fact that the cinder cone point to the Fimmvörðuháls hardly Gletscherschliff, however, warns that they arose thereafter. On the other hand, are located in the south of Fimmvörðuháls some back, which consist of palagonite and are therefore arose under glaciers.

Of the total of about 10-12 break-out points on the Fimmvörðuháls have been active about 6-8 after the Ice Age.

The slopes south of the Fimmvörðuháls are covered by basalt layers that originate from the last interglacial period.

Eruption history

The Fimmvörðuháls is dominated by volcanic eruptions. At least 6-8 of them can be detected after the Ice Age.

Eruption 2010

Since March 2010, was on the Fimmvörðuháls a renewed volcanic eruption in progress, which is attributed to the system of Eyjafjallajökull caused by chemical analysis of the ejected materials. The eruption began on March 20, shortly before midnight. Along a several hundred meters long eruption fissure occurred until April 8, 2010 from lava and flowed mainly to the northeast. A stream of lava flowed into the canyon Hrunagíl. On 31 March 2010 opened northwest of the first eruption column a second, also several hundred meters long column. The lava flowed in the direction of the gorge Hvannárgil. On 12 April, the eruption came in the area of ​​Fimmvörðuháls to a halt. The two volcanoes have received the name Magni (82 m height) and modes (47 m), according to two sons of the god Thor.

Trail Skógar - Þórsmörk

About the Fimmvörðuháls leads a well-known trail from Skógar to Þórsmörk. The hiking trail is 22 km long and reaches a height of 1000 meters.

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