Kerið (; also Kerith or Kerid) is a volcanic

crater lake Crater Lake (Klamath language, Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The ...

located in the

Grímsnes Grímsnes () is a fissure or crater row volcanic system located in South Iceland, a relatively small volcanic system located SE of Thingvallavatn lake east of an en echelon group of volcanic fields extending across the Reykjanes Peninsula. The el ...

area in south

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, along the Golden Circle. It is one of several crater lakes in the area, known as Iceland's Western Volcanic Zone, which includes the

Reykjanes peninsula Southern Peninsula ( is, Suðurnes ) is an administrative unit and part of Reykjanesskagi (pronounced ), or Reykjanes Peninsula, a region in southwest Iceland. It was named after Reykjanes, the southwestern tip of Reykjanesskagi. The region ha ...

and the Langjökull Glacier, created as the land moved over a localized hotspot, but it is the one that has the most visually recognizable

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

still intact. The caldera, like the other

volcanic rock Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic r ...

in the area, is composed of a red (rather than black) volcanic rock. The caldera itself is approximately deep, wide, and across. Kerið's caldera is one of the three most recognizable volcanic craters because at approximately 6,500 years old, it is only half the age of most of the surrounding volcanic features. The other two are Seyðishólar and Kerhóll. While most of the crater is steep-walled with little vegetation, one wall is sloped more gently and blanketed with a deep moss, and can be descended fairly easily. The lake itself is fairly shallow (7–14 metres, depending on rainfall and other factors), but due to minerals from the soil, is an opaque and strikingly vivid aquamarine. Land owners charge an entrance fee to see the crater of 450 ISK ().

Formation

Although

volcanologist A volcanologist, or volcano scientist, is a geologist who focuses on understanding the formation and eruptive activity of volcanoes. Volcanologists frequently visit volcanoes, sometimes active ones, to observe and monitor volcanic eruptions, col ...

s originally believed Kerið was formed by a huge volcanic explosion, as is the accepted norm with volcanic craters, more thorough studies of the Grímsnes region failed to find any evidence of such an explosion in Kerið. It is now believed that Kerið was a cone volcano which erupted and emptied its

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

reserve. Once the magma was depleted, the weight of the cone collapsed into the empty magma chamber. The current pool of water at the bottom of the crater is at the same level as the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...

and is not caused by rainfall.Information board next to Kerith Crater

Gallery

Kerid-02-Krater-1980-gje.jpg, Kerið in April 1980 Kerið, frozen.JPG, Kerið frozen over in early April Kerid-grimsnes.jpg, Kerið in September Kerid.jpg, Kerið in April Kerid 1.jpg, Kerið in August Kerið.JPG, Kerið Kerið crater lake, Iceland - Eric Marchese.jpg, Kerið Kerið.jpg, Kerið in early March Iceland-Kerid2-July 2000.jpg, Tourists on the edge of Kerið in July Iceland-Kerid1-July 2000.jpg, Kerið in July Kerið Panorama.jpg, Kerið in mid April

References

2
Kerid Crater official site
Volcanoes of Iceland Volcanic crater lakes Dormant volcanoes South Iceland Seismic Zone Calderas of Iceland {{Iceland-geo-stub