Kerið

Crater Lake

The Kerið is a crater lake in Iceland. It is the easternmost of the five craters belonging to the post-glacial Grímsnes volcano crater row Tjarnarhólar field, which in turn are part of the eruption belt in Reykjanes Langjökull area. Kerið lies in the region Suðurland on the road from Selfoss to Haukadalur.

Lava Grímsneshraun

In the eruptive phase is about 5000-6000 years ago the crater row Tjarnarhólar promoted much of the lava of Grímsneshraun ( hrown is the Icelandic term for lava or lava ), which extends over about 54 km ². It is estimated the lava to 1.2 km ³. Overall, this Grímsnes volcanic field consists of 10-12 usually relatively small eruptive centers. Most volcanoes there are rather inconspicuous because they are shallow and overgrown. Three volcanoes, however, are clearly visible: Kerið, the slightly higher Seyðishólar (214 m) and Kerhóll.

Data

The crater is 55 meters deep. The crater lake in Kerið has a size of approximately 270 times 170 m and thus an area of ​​about 0.05 square kilometers. The water depth ranges 7-14 m.

Geological classification of Kerið

Erroneously, the crater Kerið due to his - and outflow -free crater lake was formerly known as explosion crater or maar. However, missing all the features of a Tuff- or Tephraringes that usually surround a Maarkrater. In addition Kerið addition to having hot deposited Kraterfazies traces a distinct effusive activity. The latter in particular is contrary to the expected course of an eruption explosion crater. More likely, however, a decrease of the crater floor below the water table is after the end of the eruptive phase by lava found another outlet below the already solidified crater floor and so a void was created that filled with groundwater. The water level of the lake is thus indicative of the groundwater level in the area.

Use of the crater

While Kerið and the nearby cinder cone Kerhóll are now protected, the slag of most other crater of the volcano Grímsnes field is mined for use as construction material.