![Sudurnes-Reykjanes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Sudurnes-Reykjanes.png)
Southern Peninsula ( is, Suðurnes ) is an administrative unit and part of Reykjanesskagi (pronounced ), or Reykjanes Peninsula, a
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
in southwest
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 ...
. It was named after
Reykjanes
Reykjanes () is a small headland on the southwestern tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, giving the main peninsula its name. The region is about from Iceland's international airport.
As the name means "smoking peninsula" connected to vol ...
, the southwestern tip of Reykjanesskagi.
The region has a population of 27,829 (2020) and is one of the more densely populated parts of the island. The administrative centre is
Keflavík
Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129.
In 1995, Keflavik merged with nearby Njarð ...
, which had 7,000 residents when it merged with the nearby town of
Njarðvík
Njarðvík () is a town in southwestern Iceland, on the peninsula of Reykjanes. As of 2009, its population was 4,400.
History
In 1995 it merged with the town of Keflavík and the village of Hafnir to form the new municipality of Reykjanesbær. T ...
and
Hafnir
Hafnir () is a village in southwestern Iceland.
It is situated in the Reykjanes peninsula and has 109 inhabitants (as of 2011).
In 1994 the inhabitants of Hafnir, Njarðvík and Keflavík
Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is ...
in 1995 to create
Reykjanesbær
Reykjanesbær () is a municipality on the Southern Peninsula (''Suðurnes'') in Iceland, though the name is also used by locals to refer to the suburban region of Keflavík and Njarðvík which have grown together over the years. The municipalit ...
, which is the largest settlement outside the
Greater Reykjavík area; in 2018 the region had a population of 17,805. The region is the location of
Keflavík International Airport
Keflavík Airport ( is, Keflavíkurflugvöllur ) , also known as Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport, is the largest airport in Iceland and the country's main hub for international transportation. The airport is west of Keflavík and southwest of ...
, the major point of entry for Iceland. Some fishing towns, such as
Grindavík
Grindavík () is a fishing town on the Southern Peninsula of Iceland not far from the tuya Þorbjörn.
It is one of the few cities with a harbour on this coast. Most of the inhabitants work in the fishing industry. The Blue Lagoon, Grindavík ...
,
Njarðvík
Njarðvík () is a town in southwestern Iceland, on the peninsula of Reykjanes. As of 2009, its population was 4,400.
History
In 1995 it merged with the town of Keflavík and the village of Hafnir to form the new municipality of Reykjanesbær. T ...
and
Sandgerði are situated on the peninsula.
The peninsula is marked by active
volcanism
Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called a ...
under its surface and large
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 moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
fields, allowing little vegetation. There are numerous
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by c ...
s in the southern half of the peninsula, around the
Kleifarvatn
Kleifarvatn () is the largest lake on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, situated in the southern part of the peninsula. It is located on the fissure zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The lake has no visible water coming in or going out as most ...
lake and the
Krýsuvík geothermal area. There is a
geothermal power station at Svartsengi. Near the power station a luxury spa and pool area has been installed using the hot and mineralized water coming down from the power station; it is known as the "
Blue Lagoon" (''Bláa Lónið'').
The Bridge Between Continents spans the Álfagjá
rift valley
A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear d ...
(60 feet wide and deep) near Grindavík, which is supposed to mark the boundary of the
Eurasian
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Ja ...
and
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
continental
tectonic plates
Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...
. It was built in 2002 and previously named Leif the Lucky bridge in honor of Icelandic explorer
Leif Eriksson
Leif Erikson, Leiv Eiriksson, or Leif Ericson, ; Modern Icelandic: ; Norwegian: ''Leiv Eiriksson'' also known as Leif the Lucky (), was a Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to have set foot on continental North ...
who traveled from Europe to America nearly 500 years before
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
.
A great deal of volcanic unrest was occurring in the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2020 and into 2021, after nearly 800 years of inactivity. After the eruption of the
Fagradalsfjall
Fagradalsfjall () is a tuya volcano formed in the Last Glacial Period on the Reykjanes Peninsula, around from Reykjavík, Iceland. Fagradalsfjall is also the name for the wider volcanic system covering an area wide and long between the Sv ...
volcano started on 19 March 2021,
National Geographic's experts predicted that this "may mark the start of decades of volcanic activity". The eruption was small, leading to a prediction that this volcano was unlikely to threaten "any population centers".
Reykjanes volcanic system
The Reykjanes Volcanic System is one of the volcanic systems on Reykjanes Peninsula in Southwest Iceland, where the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge (a divergent or constructive plate boundary) located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. In the North Atlantic, the ridge separates the North ...
rises above sea level. It is part of Reykjanes Volcanic Belt like the 3-6 (depending on author) other volcanic systems on Reykjanes Peninsula.
[Reykjanes. Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes.](_blank)
Retrieved 17 August 2020.). A volcanic system on the peninsula of Reykjanes consists of (volcanic and tectonic) fissures and faults directed mostly NE-SW. Only Hengill, if this volcano is also taken into account here, has an additional central volcano. The Reykjanes volcanic system shows
lava field
Lava fields are large, mostly flat areas of surface or subaquatic lava flows. Such features are generally composed of highly fluid basalt lava, and can extend for tens or hundreds of miles across the underlying terrain.
Morphology and stru ...
s and postglacial
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
ic crater rows. The small
shield volcanoes are mostly not counted.
Brennisteinsfjöll. Detailed description. In: Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes.] Retrieved 17 August 2020
The submarine Reykjanes Ridge volcanic zone is contiguous but is considered only for a small part integrated into the Reykjanes volcanic system, which is the westernmost volcanic system closely spaced en-echelon fissure systems extending across the Reykjanes Peninsula. The highest of the system's multiple vents is 230 metres (754 ft). Dredging operations resulted in recovery of basaltic rocks of probable Holocene
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...
age. Most of the subaerial part of the system is covered by Holocene-age lava field
Lava fields are large, mostly flat areas of surface or subaquatic lava flows. Such features are generally composed of highly fluid basalt lava, and can extend for tens or hundreds of miles across the underlying terrain.
Morphology and stru ...
s. During the 13th century, the last subaerial eruptions occurred along the Reykjanes fissure system. Tephra
Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism.
Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they re ...
deposits from Holocene eruptions have been preserved on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Gallery
Image:Bridge across continents iceland.jpg, Leif the Lucky Bridge spanning the Álfagjá rift valley
Image:Reykjanesvirkjun.JPG, Reykjanesvirkjun
The Reykjanes Power Station (known as ''Reykjanesvirkjun'' ) is a geothermal power station located in Reykjanes at the southwestern tip of Iceland.
As of 2012, the power plant generates 100MWe from two 50MWe turbines, using steam and brine from ...
geothermal power plant
File:Iceland (1), Grindavík.JPG, Grindavík
Grindavík () is a fishing town on the Southern Peninsula of Iceland not far from the tuya Þorbjörn.
It is one of the few cities with a harbour on this coast. Most of the inhabitants work in the fishing industry. The Blue Lagoon, Grindavík ...
Image:Krisuvik.jpg, Krýsuvík
File:2006-05-27-082806 Iceland Keflavík.jpg, Keflavík International Airport
See also
* Krýsuvík (volcanic system)
* Brennisteinsfjöll
References
External links
*
Reykjanes
Reykjanes South Peninsula Private Tour
;Photography:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudurnes
Peninsulas of Iceland
Lava fields