Thórsmörk (, ) is a mountain ridge in

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 ...

that was named after the Norse god Thor (Þór). It is situated in the south of Iceland between the

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s Tindfjallajökull and

Eyjafjallajökull Eyjafjallajökull (; "glacier of (the mountain) Eyjafjöll"), sometimes referred to by the numeronym E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano wi ...

. The name "Thórsmörk" properly refers only to the mountain ridge between the rivers Krossá, Þröngá, and Markarfljót,Þórsmörk
/ref> but is sometimes used informally to describe a wider area that includes the region between Thórsmörk and Eyjafjallajökull. Thórsmörk is one of the most popular hiking areas in Iceland. In the valley, the river Krossá winds between the mountains. The valley is closed in between glaciers, Mýrdalsjökull being at the rear end of the valley. This leads to an especially warm climate, better than in the rest of south Iceland. In the protected valley, green vegetation of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

, fern, birchwood, and other small shrubs are found. Thórsmörk is popular amongst hikers. Many different tours are possible, from hiking on the glaciers to trekking (i.e., Laugavegur up to Landmannalaugar) or smaller excursions, such as to the canyon Stakkholtsgjá with its waterfall or five small day treks, to the summits of surrounding peaks, with rewarding views, even in bad weather. The Krossá is a cold, fast river coming down from glaciers; a bridge allows pedestrians to cross. Coaches arrive daily from

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

and other towns in Iceland.

Volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull

During the spring

2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull Between March and June 2010 a series of Volcano, volcanic events at Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland caused Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, enormous disruption to air travel across Western Europe. The disruptions st ...

, much of the area was covered in a thick layer of volcanic ash. Several months were needed for nature to return to normal.

References

External links

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Thorsmork AccommodationThorsmork ToursThorsmork TourPhotos from Thórsmörk, Iceland 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorsmork Forests of Iceland Southern Region (Iceland) Valleys of Iceland Ridges of Europe Landforms of Iceland

Volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull

See also

References

External links