How was Lake Myvatn formed?

The basin was shaped by the last glaciation, but the lake as we see it today is about 2,300 years old. During the Hverfjall cycle a large fissure eruption from the Threngslaborgir-Ludentsborgir crater row poured out the younger Laxa lava field, and that lava acted like a dam: it gave Lake Myvatn its present shape, along with the lakes Sandvatn, Graenavatn and Arnarvatn.

How old are the rocks around Lake Myvatn?

The western shore is a basalt ridge from the early Pleistocene, about 2 to 2.5 million years old. The eastern shore is made of the so-called Moberg Formation, which formed at the end of the Pleistocene, between about 780,000 and 10,000 years ago. Everything else in the region - the craters, the lava fields, the pseudo-craters - is postglacial, so less than about 11,000 years old.

What are the pseudo-craters at Skutustadagigar?

Pseudo-craters are cones with no connection to magma from inside the earth. They were formed by explosions of steam trapped under fresh lava flowing over wet ground. The best known group of them stands on the southern shore of Lake Myvatn at Skutustadir, is protected as a natural monument and is one of the most visited sights of the region.

What were the Myvatn Fires?

Mývatnseldar, the Fires of Myvatn, were the eruptions of 1724-1729 in the Krafla system. They opened on the morning of May 17, 1724 with a short maar-type explosion that left the Viti crater lake. The lava eruptions proper began only in August 1727 and came in four bursts until the end of June 1729, building the Leirhnjukur lava field that reaches the northern end of the lake. The eruptive fissure was about 13 km, or 8 miles, long and the lava covers 33 square kilometers, or 13 square miles.

Hverfjall, also called Hverfell, is a tuff crater east of Lake Myvatn, left behind by the gigantic but brief explosive eruption that opened the Hverfjall cycle about 2,500 years ago. It is about 150 meters, or 490 feet, high and just over 1 km, or 0.6 mile, across, and the volume of its volcanic material is about 130 million cubic meters.

What is the difference between helluhraun and apalhraun?

Both words describe lava surfaces. Helluhraun is smooth pahoehoe lava - the older Laxa lava field south of Myvatn is mostly of this kind. Apalhraun is rough block lava that crumbles as it cools, and the younger Laxa lava field that dammed the lake consists mainly of it.

Is the Namafjall Hverir geothermal field older than the lake?

Yes. According to geological studies the solfatara field at Namafjall Hverir has been in its present place since the beginning of the postglacial period, so for at least 11,000 years - far longer than today's Lake Myvatn, which took shape about 2,300 years ago.

Lake Myvatn region | Rumbo Mundo

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