[Sigrún Sif Sigurðardóttir: Vatnsmagn í gleri bólstrabergs á Reykjanesi og við Þórisvatn - Tenging við þrýsting og jökulfarg -. BS ritgerð. Leiðbeinandi Ármann Höskuldsson. (Mai 2010) Retrieved 26 July 2020.](_blank)
/ref>
"Vífilsfell directly overlies" a tuya, called "Northern Bláfjöll
Bláfjöll (, "blue mountains") are a small mountain range in the southwest of Iceland on Reykjanes peninsula at about 30 km from Reykjavík.
They form sort of a double mountain massif to the west and in the east of JósepsdalurÞór Vigf ...
" by Hamilton "and encompasses a conical mound of palagonite
Palagonite is an alteration product from the interaction of water with volcanic glass of chemical composition similar to basalt. Palagonite can also result from the interaction between water and basalt melt. The water flashes to steam on contact w ...
with isolated welded scoria, volcanic bombs, dike
Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to:
General uses
* Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian"
* Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment
* Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice
* Dikes, ...
s with pillowed surfaces, and peripheral slump deposit". (C.W.Hamilton, 2004)
Volcanic edifices in the vicinity
Topography and stratigraphy of the region around Vífilsfell reveal different features of subaerial as well as subglacial volcanism:
*Northern Bláfjöll, ie. the northernmost truncated spur
A truncated spur is a spur, which is a ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline from a higher elevation, that ends in an inverted-V face and was produced by the erosional truncation of the spur by the action of either streams, wa ...
of the Bláfjöll mountain massif, is a flat-topped tuya, "emerged from a deep englacial melt-water lake" (Hamilton, 2003).[Christopher Hamilton:Ice-contact volcanism and hyaloclastite flow emplacement in the Vífilsfell region, SW Iceland. Abstracts – Atlantic Universities Geological Conference, 2003. Retrieved 26 July 2020.]
/ref>
*The subglacial mound Vífilsfell itself is situated directly on top of this tuya. On the other hand, Vífilsfell was built up under a thinner glacier than the tuya, perhaps just 0–45 m thick. This can be concluded from the water content of the rocks which is 0.08-0.24wt% at Boluöldur.
*Another volcanic landform in the vicinity, ''Arnarþúfur'', is built up of a series of conical mounds, nevertheless being not a product of a subglacial fissure eruption
A fissure vent, also known as a volcanic fissure, eruption fissure or simply a fissure, is a linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts, usually without any explosive activity. The vent is often a few metres wide and may be many kilom ...
, but an accumulation of various glacial and volcanic products such as glacial deposits ( eskers), deposits of pyroclastic flow
A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of bu ...
s, turbidites and a ''hyaloclastic flow'' deposit. The latter is defined by Hamilton as "mobilized volcanoclastic glass originating from melt-water interaction".
Holocene volcanism and connection to the history of Iceland
The eruption history of the region does not end in the Pleistocene. 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 togethe ...
lava fields surround Vífilsfell. They are eruption products of two volcanic systems, the Hengill
Hengill (Icelandic language, Icelandic, pronounced ) is a volcano, volcanic mountain range situated in the southwest of Iceland, to the south of Þingvellir. The mountain range covers an area of about 100 km².
The volcano is still active, e ...
system to the northwest and the Brennisteinsfjöll
Brennisteinsfjöll (, "Sulfur mountains"
Brennisteinsfjöll. Detailed description. In: Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes ...
system. The last eruptions in the Hengill system took place about 2000 years ago, but the youngest lava field, the ''Svínahraunsbruni'' (Brennisteinsfjöll volcanic system) dates from the year 1000 and was also called ''Kristnitökuhraun'', because at the time of the eruption, the Icelandic Vikings, vikings had a dispute in Þingvellir about the question, if they should become Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, to which, in the end, they acquiesced.
Quarries
Some quarries are to be found at the western flank of Vífilsfell. In 2010, it was planned to extract around 2-5 000 000m3 in the quarry of Bóluöldur.
When scientists examined the outcrops in the quarry, they found many layers of pillow lavas. One theory about their origin is, that during the last stages of Vífilsfell's eruptions, subaerial lavas had emerged up on the mountain, degassed there and then run into a deep lake or the sea.
Roads and airfield
The Hringvegur (Suðurlandsvegur) passes by at a distance of about 5 km from Vífilsfell.[See eg. Ísland Vegaatlas. Ferðakort. 2006, p.1] The mountain can be seen very well from the gas station with coffee shop ''Litla Kaffistofan''. Road 417 (Bláfjallavegurinn) passes by the foot of the mountain and continues to the ski resort of Bláfjöll
Bláfjöll (, "blue mountains") are a small mountain range in the southwest of Iceland on Reykjanes peninsula at about 30 km from Reykjavík.
They form sort of a double mountain massif to the west and in the east of JósepsdalurÞór Vigf ...
.
The small airport of Sandskeið
Sandskeið () is the main gliding center in Iceland and home of the Icelandic gliding club ( Svifflugfélag Íslands) since 1936. It is situated 20 km to the east of Reykjavík, the Icelandic capital, by Route 1
The following highways are ...
, where esp. gliders are starting and landing,[Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. Reykjavík 1989, p.90] is also located to the west of the mountain.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vifilsfell
Subglacial volcanoes of Iceland
Hyaloclastite ridges
Reykjanes Volcanic Belt
Volcanoes of Iceland
Mountains of Iceland
Reykjanes