Kerlingarfjöll () is a tall

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

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 ...

situated in the

Highlands of Iceland The Highlands of Iceland ( is, hálendið ) are a sparsely inhabited plateau that covers most of the interior of Iceland. They are situated above 400–500 metres (1300–1600 feet) and are mostly an uninhabitable volcanic desert, because the wa ...

near the

Kjölur Kjölur () is a plateau in the highlands of Iceland, roughly defined as the area between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers. It lies at an elevation of about 600–700 metres. Geography At the northern end of the Kjölur road, near the h ...

highland road. They are part of a large

tuya A tuya is a flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. They are rare worldwide, being confined to regions which were covered by glaciers and had active volcanism during the same period. As lava ...

volcano system of . The volcanic origin of these mountains is evidenced by the numerous hot springs and rivulets in the area, as well as red volcanic

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 ...

stone of which the mountains are composed. Minerals that have emerged from the hot springs also color the ground yellow, red and green. The area was known formerly for its summer

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...

resort, but this was dismantled in 2000. Since 2000, Kerlingarfjöll has been operated as a highland resort, offering accommodation and food services to guests in the area. On March 17 in 2017 the ''Iceland Monitor'' stated that the Kerlingarfjöll Mountains and geothermal area were being turned into a nature reserve. Although parts of the place already had protection, the whole 367 square kilometres are to be under the protection of the state of Iceland. There have been thoughts of using the 140 degree Celsius hot springs as a geothermal power plant. The area is popular with hiking and the tourists. There are various half-day and one-day hiking trails in the area. File:Kerlingarfjöll west.JPG, Kerlingarfjöll as seen from the

road. File:Kerlingarfjöll valley.JPG, Valley in the Kerlingarfjöll area with geothermal activity.

References

External links

Hiking routes in Kerlingarfjoll

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerlingarfjoll Mountains of Iceland Defunct ski areas and resorts Tuyas of Iceland Mid-Iceland Belt One-thousanders of Iceland

See also

References

External links