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The map shows our route
to Laki and the huge fissure from which the Skaftár lava
erupted in 1783.
Our day starts off at
Kirkjubærjarklaustur, near the bottom of the map. We start off
by looking across the huge expanse of lava, but most of our route
lies northwards across much older rocks which include Pleistocene
lavas and móberg. The Skaftár lava of 1783-84 lies to
either side of us in the Skaftá and Hverfisfljót river
valleys. Eventually, we come in sight of the lava again at Laki,
where we also explore the eruption fissure itself.
Click on a location
to get more information - pictures
of the geology, our students and some explanations and
comments.
(Map from Geological
map of Iceland, sheet 6, Museum of Natural History and The Icelandic
Geodetic Survey, Reykjavík, with permission.)
Simplified
key
Postglacial basic + intermediate lavas
(younger/older)
Pyroclastic or eruption site
Mainly Interglacial basic + internmediate lavas < 0,7
m.y
Basic + intermediate móberg (hyaloclastite)
(younger/older)