Reykjahlíð () is a village situated on the shores of Lake

Mývatn Mývatn () is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provides a habitat for a number of waterbirds, ...

in the north of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. It is the seat of the municipality of

Skútustaðahreppur Skútustaðahreppur (, regionally also ) is a former rural municipality located in East Iceland, in Northeastern Region. Its seat was in the village of Reykjahlíð. In 2022 the municipality merged with Þingeyjarsveit under the name of the latte ...

. It has 227 inhabitants as of 2021. ''With an elevation of 292 meters above sea level it ranks as the highest situated town in the nation.''

Overview

During the so-called Mývatn fires, caused by the eruption of the nearby

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

Krafla Krafla () is a volcanic caldera of about in diameter with a long fissure zone. It is located in the north of Iceland in the Mývatn region and is situated on the Iceland hotspot atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which forms the divergent boundary ...

in 1729, the village was destroyed by a

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

stream. However, the inhabitants were saved when the lava flow stopped in front of the village church on higher ground, allegedly as the result of the prayers of the village priest. The church is still there, although the present building dates from 1972.

Main sights

From Reykjahlíð, it is possible to go to many sights in the area, most notably Krafla. The volcano last erupted in 1984, but the vapour of a warm lava field and of

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

springs can still be seen. Not far from there is the crater Víti (meaning "hell" in Icelandic), but looking today rather harmless with a blue lake at its bottom. Its apparent tranquility belies the fact that its last eruption was as recent as 1976. Other interesting places are on the lake itself, like the volcano Hverfjall, the pseudo-craters of Skútusstaðir and

Dimmuborgir Dimmuborgir (''dimmu'' "dark", ''borgir'' "cities" or "forts", "castles"; pronounced ) is a large area of unusually shaped lava fields east of Mývatn in Iceland. The Dimmuborgir area is composed of various volcanic caves and rock formations, re ...

(a strange lava formation). A local airport provides sightseeing during the summer. A plant for extraction and processing of

diatomite Diatomaceous earth ( ), also known as diatomite ( ), celite, or kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that can be crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from more than 3 ...

was a main point in local economy until 2004 when it was shut down.

Nature Baths opened on 30 June 2004.

Climate

Reykjahlíð features a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ET), bordering on a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

: Dfc). Summers are typically cool with crisp nights while winters are very long and cold, but not severely cold. Extreme temperatures ranged from on March 7, 1998 to on August 10, 2004.

Photogallery

Reykjahlíð.2.jpg, Panoramic view Viti.jpg, Víti crater Reykjahlid.jpg, Diatomite plant Myvatn Nature Baths by Bruce McAdam.jpg, Nature Baths

Notes and references

External links