Baula () is a mountain situated in the west of Iceland near

Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered ...

Bifröst University Bifröst University () is located in the valley of Norðurárdalur, approximately 30 kilometers north of Borgarnes, Iceland. Originally a business school, it also offers degrees in law and social sciences, at both bachelor's and master's level, ...

, and the

crater Crater may refer to: Landforms *Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet *Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surfac ...

s of Grábrók. The mountain's reddish or orange hue is caused by its

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

rock composition. Geologically, the mountain is a laccolith, a type of igneous

intrusion In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...

. It was formed 3.4 million years ago.Johannesson, Haukur (1975) ''Structure and petrochemistry of the Reykjadalur central volcano and the surrounding areas, Midwest Iceland'', Doctoral thesis, Durham University. Baula is characterized by its almost perfect cone. Nearby is Baula's “little sister,” a mountain called Litla-Baula, where rare columns of rhyolite are found. Together, Baula and Litla-Baula have often been described as Iceland's most beautiful pair of mountains.

References

* Hróarsson, Björn (1994) ''Á ferð um landið, Borgarfjörður og Mýrar, Mál og menning'' (in Icelandic) {{Authority control Volcanism of Iceland Mountains of Iceland Pliocene magmatism Laccoliths Borgarbyggð

See also

References