Reykjanesskagi

Geographical location

Reykjanesskagi is a boot-shaped peninsula in the extreme southwest of Iceland, southwest of the capital Reykjavík. The name means Reykjanes Peninsula, where Reykjanes ( German " smoke peak " or " smoke Peninsula " ) today mostly, in a sense referred to only the outermost southwest tip of the heel of the boot.

• 2.1 From the Middle Ages to modern times
• 2.2 Towns and villages
• 2.3 Hallgrímur Pétursson as a pastor in Hvalsnes

• 5.1 Off. Sites
• 5.2 Wiss. Items to volcanism and plate movement on Reykjanesskagi

Plate displacement and volcanism on Reykjanesskagi

Reykjanesskagi and continental drift

The Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland (not to be confused with the same name as in the West Fjords ) is located directly above the rift zone. About Iceland is the boundary of two at a speed of about 2 cm in from each removed tectonic plates, the Eurasian and American record. Reykjanes is right on this border. It is said here could be the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on land, a zone of plate displacements and at the same time of active volcanism. What explains that there seems to be about the literally hottest place Islands; 300 ° C were measured at a depth of 1,000 m below the central volcano Gunnuhver.

Rift zone

Fracture or rift zones between continental plates are characterized by frequent seismic activity and associated earth movements such as formation of visible cracks and crevices.

A tourist curiosity is the so-called bridge between continents, which leads through a column near the Gunnuhver. A display board explained in detail the effect of disk displacement with the example of Iceland on site.

Plate displacement effects are also the frequent earthquakes on the lake Kleifarvatn that uA cause at regular intervals that the lake seems to dry out slowly, because open under him columns but then close again, so that it fills up again.

Volcanism

The peninsula is made up of former subglacial and submarine volcanic formations and modern active volcanoes that overlap each other and overlap. With the removal of the Mantle Plume, who is suspected in the Grímsvötn, takes the height of the volcanic mountains from the Hengill from down to Gunnuhver. Directly south of Vogastapi the remains of two submarine volcanic formations are of pillow lava from the Weichsel glaciation.

Prehistoric volcanic

The oldest rocks west of Reykjavík is located in a line of Vogastapi addition, according to Garðskagi and consists of eroded by glaciers lavas of one or more shield volcanoes.

Otherwise you will find in the northwest of Reykjanesskagi three overlapping shield volcanoes, Hrútagjá, Þráinskjöldur and Sandfellshæð ( vOnW ). These three volcanoes are 9000-10000 years old and emerged at the end of the Ice Age in Iceland. You have a considerable volume of about 15 cubic kilometers, which constitutes 75 % of the total volume of magma that is erupted in this part of Reykjanesskagi since the Ice Age.

In the southeast of the peninsula you will find, however, even six overlapping volcanoes of this type: Geitahlíð, Herdísarvík, Selvogsheiði, pagan há, leading share and Tröllahlíð.

More prehistoric lavas comprise about the resultant approximately 7,200 years ago Búrfellshraun lava field, the slag crater Búrfell has produced. It is located about 10 km southeast of Hafnarfjörður. A marked trail leads through the so-called Búrfellsgjá, a former lava channel on the crater. He belongs to the northwestern part of the volcanic system of Krýsuvík.

Volcanism in historical times ( since the 9th cent.)

The boot-shaped peninsula is also characterized by its large, relatively young lava fields, which are only sparsely covered by a thin layer of vegetation. In the Middle Ages several breakout series took place. The last volcanic eruptions on Reykjanesskagi occurred in the 14th century ( Krýsuvík, probably 1340).

Reykjanesskagi is ever marked by active volcanism, as it represents the continuation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is above the sea level. His lying south-west of Iceland segment is called Reykjanesrücken.

Active volcanic systems on the Reykjanes peninsula

It is found on the peninsula three or depending on the scientific approach four active volcanic systems, each one named after the adjacent landscapes and mountains ( vWnO ): called Reykjanes with the central volcano Gunnuhver and Svartsengi, Krýsuvík with the central volcano Trölladyngja, sometimes Trölladyngja system, and Brennisteinsfjöll. The series continues eastward with the Hengill continued, but this belongs, strictly speaking, no longer to the peninsula. Some geoscientists separate the systems of Reykjanes with the Gunnuhver one hand of Svartsengi the other hand, others see them as a single system.

All these volcanic systems are more or less parallel to one another and oriented parallel to the rift zone from southwest to northeast.

Reykjanes volcanic system

(see also Main article Gunnuhver )

The source Gunnuhver, central volcano of the high temperature area Reykjanes, changed visibly from 2002 to 2010. There had to because of steadily increasing activity with the appearance of new sources now an access road to be closed ( March 08 ).

At this volcanic system includes the crater row Yngri Stampar. This produced the so far last lavas to Reykjanesskagi while a larger vulkanotektonischen episode, which lasted from 1210 to 1240. During this series of eruptions also eruptions in the sea off Reykjanes, for example, showed the mountain Vatnsfell constructions as lapilli tuff structure. Another submarine eruption in 1226, is the origin of a Tephralage that is anything as a so-called Mittelaltertephra on Reykjanes in the Tephrochronologie.

The power plant Southern Peninsula benefited from geothermal energy.

Svartsengi

(see also Main article Svartsengi )

One uses the geothermal energy in the geothermal power of Svartsengi, which is perched above the high temperature area.

The now very modern designed pool Blue Lagoon ( Bláa Lónið ) used the hot waste water from the Geothermalkraftwerks. The water was found to be rich in minerals and has healing properties shown in skin diseases.

Krýsuvík

(see also Main article Krýsuvík )

Active volcanism is also found in Krýsuvík at the high temperature region Seltún and the hot springs at the lake Kleifarvatn. They belong to the Krýsuvík or Trölladyngja volcano system.

A visible from afar volcanic cone, which already features the Reykjanes peninsula in the distance, Keilir, a Palagonitkegel, which was created during the ice age by an outbreak at a location below a glacier is.

Modern lavas flowed from this system until after Hafnarfjörður and are called Kapelluhraun. It is here to Aa lava, which has its origin in an approximately 7.5 km to the east of the street to Keflavik crater row and dates from the 12th century ( 1151-1188 ). Same vulkanotektonischen episode sprang the lava field Ögmundarhraun at Grindavík.

Brennisteinsfjöll

(see also Main article Brennisteinsfjöll )

The volcanic system of Brennisteinsfjöll stretches far to the northeast, where it meets the high level of Hellisheiði to the volcanic systems of the Hengill and Hrómundartindur. It includes both the mountains in Reykjavík ski Bláfjöll as well as the drill holes at high temperature area Hverahlíð on the Hellisheiði east of Hringvegur.

This volcanic system comes from the lava field Hellnahraun located at Hafnarfjörður. His pahoehoe lavas flowed from around 920 AD, the craters Tvíbollar.

Colonization history

From the Middle Ages to modern times

Reykjanes has been inhabited since the Conquest period in the 9th and 10th centuries. Instance, it is reported in the country taking book from the first settlers Grindavíks. This was therefore a certain Moldavia Gnúpur with his sons.

In the Middle Ages there you realized the cheap moorings in many places and the inhabitants of the farms drove in the winter fish. It also winter fishing villages here were built in the Middle Ages, to which people from other parts of the country arrived.

Some later villages and cities in the Middle Ages served as trading centers especially for English and German ( Hanseatic ) merchants, this is especially true for Grindavík and Hafnarfjörður ..

Towns and villages

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the population grew in the places with the best landing. Villages and towns were formed.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the peninsula is fairly densely populated because of the proximity to the capital Reykjavík. Here are, for example, the cities Hafnarfjörður and Keflavik with the international Leif Eiriksson - Airport, and many other villages like Njarðvík and Hafnir that make up the community Reykjanesbær with Keflavik, and the places Garður, Sandgerði and Grindavík.

Hallgrímur Pétursson as a pastor in Hvalsnes

In the hamlet Hvalsnes appeared in the 17th century Hallgrímur Pétursson, a famous hymn writer, as a pastor. At the cemetery, you can still see the grave stone of his daughter with a poem by the master.

Bird paradise

Local attractions include the bird paradise at the very tip of the headland.