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Skjaldbreiður (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈscaltˌpreiːðʏr̥] ⓘ, "broad shield") is an Icelandic lava shield formed in a huge and quite protracted eruption series from about roughly 9,500 years ago.[2] The extensive lava fields which were produced by this eruption, flowed southwards, and formed the basin of Þingvallavatn, Iceland's largest lake, and Þingvellir, the "Parliament Plains" where the Icelandic national assembly, the Alþing was founded in 930.
| Skjaldbreiður | |
|---|---|
 Skjaldbreiður as seen from Þingvellir | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,066 m (3,497 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 64°24′36″N 20°45′44″W / 64.41000°N 20.76222°W |
| Naming | |
| English translation | broad shield |
| Language of name | Icelandic |
| Geography | |
  Skjaldbreiður Iceland | |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | 9,500 years |
| Mountain type | shield volcano |
 Selected geological features near the Skjaldbreiður shield volcano.(red outline). Light violet shading shows the current surface area of the Skjaldbreiður lava flows. Shading also shows: calderas, central volcanoes and fissure swarms, subglacial terrain above 1,100 m (3,600 ft), and seismically active areas. Clicking on the image enlarges to full window and enables mouse-over with more detail. | |
The volcano summit is at 1,066 m (3,497 ft),[1] and its crater measures roughly 300 m (980 ft) in diameter. The Skjaldbreiður lava shield covers 170 km2 (66 sq mi) with a volume of about 13 km3 (3.1 cu mi).[3] and is sometimes considered as a separate southern part of the Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull volcanic system which it is usually classified as being within.[4] In this context its most recent eruption would be 3600 years ago, and the earliest eruption after the last ice age 10,200 years ago.[5] There are at least three lava units deposited between 6000 and 9000 years BP,[6]
Straddling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the lava fields from Skjaldbreiður have been torn and twisted over the millennia, forming a multitude of fissures and rifts inside the Þingvellir National Park, the best known of which are Silfra, Almannagjá [ˈalˌmanːaˌcauː], Hrafnagjá [ˈr̥apnaˌcauː] and Flosagjá [ˈflɔːsaˌcauː].
Gallery
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Skjaldbreiður crater in snow.
References
edit- ^ a b "National Land Survey of Iceland (kortasja)–Map Viewer". Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ "Global Volcanism Program | Image GVP-05768". volcano.si.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
- ^ Larsen, Guðrún; Guðmundsson, Magnús T. (2019). "Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull Alternative name: Langjökull, Hveravellir (northern-) and Skjaldbreiður (southern part)". Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes. Retrieved 2024-05-01.: Detailed Description:2. Morphology and topography
- ^ "Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ Larsen, Guðrún; Guðmundsson, Magnús T. (2019). "Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull Alternative name: Langjökull, Hveravellir (northern-) and Skjaldbreiður (southern part)". Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes. Retrieved 2024-05-01.: Detailed Description:4. Eruption history and pattern
- ^ Hjartardóttir, Á.R.; Einarsson, P. (2015). "The interaction of fissure swarms and monogenetic lava shields in the rift zones of Iceland". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 299: 91–102. Bibcode:2015JVGR..299...91H. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2015.04.001.: 93
Sources
edit- Scarth, Alwyn; Tanguy, Jean-Claude (2001). Volcanoes of Europe. Oxford University Press. pp. 243 pp. ISBN 0-19-521754-3.
- Thordarson, Thor; Hoskuldsson, Armann (2002). Iceland (Classic Geology in Europe 3). Terra Publishing. pp. 208 pp. ISBN 1-903544-06-8.