katla geopark

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Geology & Culture1 Alviðruhamrar2 Drangurinn í Drangshlíð3 Dyrhólaey4 Dyrhólaós, Loftsalahellir5 Eyjarhóll, Pétursey6 Hjörleifshöfði7 Hrafnar, Svartinúpur8 Hvammsmúli, Kálfhamar, Pöstin og Dysjarhóll9 Hverfisfljót við Eldvatnstanga

10 Katla, Mýrdalsjökull, Mýrdalssandur11 Kirkjugólf12 Kúðafljót13 Lómagnúpur14 Meðallandssandur15 Mögugilshellir, Þórólfsfell16 Nauthúsagil17 Skaftáreldahraun18 Skaftárós19 Skógafoss20 Steinahellir21 Stóra-Dímon, Litla-Dímon22 Systrastapi, Systrafoss, Klausturheiði,

Systravatn, Sönghellir23 Vatnsdalshellir24 Þórsmörk25 Efra-Hvolshellar26 Eldmessutangi27 Hrútafell, Hrútshellir28 Höfðabrekka /Höfðabrekkuheiði29 Laufskálavarða30 Orrustuhóll31 Paradísarhellir32 Seljavallalaug33 Þríhyrningur

Mainly Geology34 Álftaversgígar35 Bleiksárgljúfur36 Djúpá37 Drumbabót38 Dverghamrar39 Dýralækjasker40 Eldgjá, Ófærufoss41 Eldgjárhraun42 Emstrur, Fjallabak43 Eyjafjallajökull, Gígjökull, Steinsholtsjökull44 Fagrifoss45 Fimmvörðuháls, Magni & Móði46 Fjaðrárgljúfur47 Foss á Síðu48 Hafursey49 Hólmsárfoss50 Kvernugil51 Lakagígar52 Landbrotshólar53 Langanes, Djúpidalur, Eystri-Rangá54 Langisjór, Fögrufjöll, Skuggafjöll, Grænifjallgarður55 Leiðólfsfell56 Tjarnir, Tjarnarnes57 Markarfljótsgljúfur, Markarfljótsaurar58 Merkjárfoss59 Reynisfjall, Reynisdrangar, Reynisfjara60 Rjúpnafell, Atley61 Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi62 Skaftá63 Skammadalskambar64 Sólheimajökull, Sólheimasandur, Sólheimaheiði65 Stjórnarfoss66 Tindfjallajökull, Tindfjöll67 Tröllshylur, Grenlækur68 Öldufell

Mainly Culture69 Bjarnargarður70 Fellsheiði71 Granahaugur72 Hellur (Jón Steingrímsson)73 Kálkháls74 Kirkjubæjarklaustur75 Kúabót76 Núpstaður77 Sauðahús í Álftaveri78 Skálmarbær79 Tólfahringur80 Vík (older part of the village)81 Þykkvabæjarklaustur

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GeologyIceland lies astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge wheretectonic plates move apart from each other,causing a rift zone. A mantle plume exists belowthe country, centered beneath Vatnajökull icecap. In South Iceland the interaction of the riftzone and the mantle plume results in complexand diverse volcanic activity.

Volcanic activity and its widespread effect onthe area’s nature and landscape make KatlaGeopark unique. The Geopark is in the mostvolcanically active area of Iceland, and thevolcanic systems at Eyjafjallajökull, Katla, andGrímsvötn are particularly active. The region ischaracterised by central volcanoes, eruptivecraters and fissures, rootless cones, lava fields,table mountains (tuyas), and hyaloclastite ridgeswhich trend SW-NE, like the rift zone.

Katla GeoparkKatla Geopark includes geological features ofglobal significance. Over 150 volcanic eruptionshave been recorded in the area since the 9th

century. The eruptions created the landscapeand influenced where people settled. Throughthe centuries, man and nature have affected theregion’s history. The landscape is constantlychanging due to the volcanic activity.

The Geopark covers about 9% of Iceland, 9.542km2, and follows the borders of three munici-palities, Skaftárhreppur, Mýrdalshreppur andRangárþing eystra. About 2.700 people livewithin the Geopark. Traditional agriculture hasbeen the main source of employment, especiallysheep and dairy farming. Cereal farming hasrecently increased. The villages of Hvolsvöllur,Vík and Kirkjubæjarklaustur developed as servicecenters for farmers. In recent years tourism hasbecome increasingly important to the economyof the area.

Ice caps are prominent in thelandscape, topping the highestvolcanoes. Outlet glaciers andglacial rivers flow from them andglacial landforms, like morainesand ice-dammed lakes, occur inthe area. Large floods, usuallyglacier outbursts associated withsubglacial eruptions, have formedoutwash plains in the lowlands.The oldest bedrock in the area isabout 2,5 million years old, andcan be found at the base ofLómagnúpur, an old sea-cliff (671m). Other interesting features inthe Geopark are fossil-bearingxenoliths, and tephra layers whichare useful for dating (tephro-chronology).

Simplified geology map of Iceland showingthe four main bedrocks and sediments.Map from the Geodetic Institute of Iceland.

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In 1955 and 2011 thereoccurred relatively minor

jökulhlaup that destroyedthe bridge of Múlakvísl,

possibly resulting from smallsubglacial eruptions or from

geothermal activity in theKatla caldera.

KatlaKatla is one of the largest central volcanoes inIceland, covered by the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap.The volcanic system, including Mýrdalsjökull areaand the fissure swarm, Eldgjá, northeast of it,is about 30 km wide in its south-western part,narrowing gradually to the northeast and reachesa length of 78 km. The caldera, Katla, is locatedunder the ice cap and is about 100 km2 and700 m deep, filled with ice.

The Katla volcanic system is famous for numeroussubglacial eruptions. In the Katla volcanic system,21 eruptions are known in historical time. Thelast eruption in Katla occurred in 1918. The totalamount of tephra produced in that eruption hasbeen estimated to have been around 700 millionm3 and the glacial outburst flood (jökulhlaup)about 8 km3.

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The coastline of Mýrdalssandur is constantlychanging. Until the fourteenth century the

ocean reached Hjörleifshöði and until the Katlaerupted in 1660 it reached the cliffs east ofVík. During the Katla eruption in 1918 the

south coast was extended by several kilometersmaking Kötlutangi the southernmost point in

Iceland for decades, but now Dyrhólaey isagain the southernmost promontory in the

country. The eroding of Kötlutangi has beenfollowed by coastal erosion in Vík.

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Katla was a kitchen maid atthe Þykkvabæjarklausturmonastery. She was astubborn old woman buthad a pair of pants that hadthe unique nature thatwhoever wore them couldrun endlessly without tiring.She would use these pantswhen needed. Many wereafraid of her difficultattitude and dark magic.A young shepherd by thename Barði had a hard timeliving with Katla. She wouldscold him fiercely if any ofthe sheep went missing.One day the abbot andKatla went to a party.Before they returned, Barðiwas to have herded homeall of the sheep. He was notable to find all of the sheepin time, so he resorts toKatla’s pants. By runningrelentlessly in the magicpants he was able to findall of the sheep before Katlareturned. Katla soondiscovered that Barði had

worn her pants. Shetherefore drowned him andhid in a barrel of acid.Nobody knew what hadhappened to Barði, but astime passed and the acidwas used from the barrel,people heard Katla saying“Senn bryddir á Barða” or“Soon Barði will surface”.Katla knew that Barði wouldsoon be found and shewould be punished for herevil doing. Therefore shetook her magic pants andran northwest towards theglacier (Mýrdalsjökull) andjumped into the glacier,never to be seen again.Right after this the glacierbegan spewing fire and amassive flash flood cameroaring down the sands.People believed that herdark magic had caused thisand named the volcanoKatla, the canyon carvedout by the flood Kötlugjáand the fields destroyed bythe flood, Kötlusandur.

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EyjafjallajökullThe Eyjafjöll volcanic system is a stratovolcanowith well developed 2,5 km wide caldera at thetop. The complex is covered by an ice cap above1.000 m altitude and the highest point was at1.666 m a.s.l. before the eruption 2010.Eruptions in Eyjafjallajökull are rare and relativelysmaller than in Katla. Four eruptions in Eyjafjalla-jökull are known in historical times, in 920,1612, 1821-23 and 2010. Before the eruptionin 2010 there had been earthquake swarmsthere in 1994 and 1999 and the volcano wastherefore under a close watch as an eruptionunder the ice cap would cause immediate dangerto farms in close proximity to the mountain.

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The first eruption, at Fimmvörðuháls an ice-freeridge between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull,lasted from 20th March to 12th April 2010.This small eruption created the craters of Magniand Móði on the north side of Fimmvörðuháls,directly across the popular hiking trail betweenSkógar, south of the pass, and Þórsmörk,immediately to the north. The eruption producedlimited amounts of basaltic lava and attracteda lot of attention from tourists that could getclose to the spectacular lava fountains and lavastreams.

A schematic E-W cross section throughEyjafjallajökull and Katla showing the positionsof inferred magmatic bodies in the roots of

the volcanoes (by Páll Einarsson).

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Eyjafjallajökull hasbeen for many yearsa great attraction for

super jeep safarisduring winter as well

as being an idealpractice area for the

rescue teams.

The second eruption started on 14th of April2010 within the ice-capped caldera, with anexplosive summit eruption amplified by magma-ice interaction. Jökulhlaups (glacier outburstfloods) are more common in Iceland than else-where in the world because of the interactionof volcanoes and glaciers. A warning system isoperated by the Icelandic Meteorological Officethat informs Civil Protection Authorities ofimpending floods or jökulhlaups. An importanttest was put to the system in the Eyjafjallajökullvolcanic eruption on 14th April 2010 and theevacuation plans worked out well and no liveswere lost due to the flooding.

The effects of the 2010Eyjafjallajökull eruption turnedout to be more widespread thanever before in modern history.

Because of the ash cloudapproximately 107.000 flights

were cancelled during an 8 dayperiod, accounting for 48% of

total air traffic and affectedroughly 10 million passengers.

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GrímsvötnGrímsvötn is a central volcano below Vatnajökullice cap. The volcanic system consists of theGrímsvötn central volcano, about 100 km longand 15 km wide volcanic fissure swarm includingthe Laki cone-row. The subglacier central volcanohas developed a large composite caldera in theglacier Vatnajökull with a high temperaturegeothermal area. Grímsvötn is the most activevolcano in Iceland. The number of eruptionssince the time of settlement is uncertain but itis believed to be at least 60 (compared to about20 in Katla). The most recent ones (at the timeof writing) are those in 2011, 2004, 1998 and1996.

Glacial bursts (jökulhlaup) originate in Grímsvötnand charge down the River Skeiðará. They werethe main reason that the Ring Road aroundIceland was not completed until 1974. Thecaldera contains a lake which is covered by a200-300 meters thick ice slab. Creeping ice andcontinuous melting caused by geothermal heatcause water to accumulate and the water levelof Grímsvötn Lake rises. The ice slab also rises.When the water reaches a critical level it seeksan outlet north-east of Grímsfjall. The waterbegins to gush from the foot of the glacier intothe bed of the River Skeiðará. A glacial burstbegins, slowly at first, increasing in volume untilpeak flow is reached. The flow then suddenlydecreases and the exit channel closes.

The eruption in 2011 lasted for a week with considerable ash fall in Southeast Iceland.The ash eruption plume rose rapidly up to about 17 km height, much higher than in recent

eruptions in Iceland. The eruption caused some international flight cancellations but much lessthan was the case with the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010.

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The eruption in 1996 caused considerable damage to the road and bridges across Skeiðarársandur.The eruption fissure, called Gjálp, was located between two volcanic centres, Grímsvötn andBárðarbunga, and the subglacial topography directed meltwater from the erupting fissuretoward the Grímsvötn caldera and rapidly filled the subglacial lake, lifting its ice cover andtriggering major flood.

The Grímsvötn eruption 2011left a thick ash layer on theicecover and huge cracks andcrevasses.

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LakagígarThe Laki eruption (Skaftáreldar) 1783-1784 andthe resulting Haze Famine (Móðuharðindin)caused the worst environmental and socio-economic disaster in Iceland´s history. The effectsof the eruption reached far and the sulphuricaerosol cloud produced by Laki generated apersistent haze (dry fog) that hovered over largepart of the northern hemisphere during thesummer of 1783. On June 24th 1783, the hazewas at its densest all over Europe. By thebeginning of July it had spread to Russia, Siberiaand China. At its peak, it covered about a quarterof the earth’s surface, or all land north of the30° latitudinal line. It has been argued that theFrench revolution began with the eruption inLaki because of the enormous influence themist had on the climate and farming in Europe.

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Toxic ash ruined pastures so livestock got sickwith a disease called gaddur, and starved. Theweather cooled due to the mist, and sea icereached the coast. When winter arrived in1783–1784 livestock collapsed from starvationand disease due to the toxic volcanic material.People died of hunger. During the hardship onein five Icelanders (about ten thousand people)died, and around 75% of the farm animals werelost. In Fljótshverfi, Meðalland and Síða, about40% of the population died, 20 farms werecovered with lava and another 30 were badlydamaged and had to be temporarily abandoned.

The Reverend Jón Steingrímsson (1728-1791) servedthe church at Kirkjubæjarklaustur during the Lakieruption. He was a man of strong faith, but also tookgreat interest in natural science and medicine. Amonghis literary accomplishments is his autobiography, oneof the most significant and interesting biographies everwritten in Icelandic, and his accounts of the Laki eruption,titled “A Complete Treatise on the Síða Fires” is aunique eyewitness account of the Laki eruption and thelava flow. This account includes descriptions of severalscientific observations and interpretations, some ofwhich did not become part of scientific knowledge untilmuch later.

He became a legendary figure for his actions duringand after the eruption. He was believed to haveperformed a miracle one fateful Sunday in July 1783.On that day a branch from the lava flow threatened todestroy his church. Reverend Jón decided to conducta service in it anyway, it was assumed to be the lastservice ever performed in that church. During hispreaching, passionate prayers and calls to God, the lavabranch stopped and the church was saved. Since thenthis mass has been known as The Mass of Fire, andreverend Jón Steingrímsson as the Pastor of the Fire.

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Bjarni Runólfsson (1891-1938) was a self-educatedfarmer at Hólmur near Kirkjubæjarklaustur. In 1927-1937 he built over a hundred micro hydroelectric powerinstallations throughout the country that harnessed thewater power of small brooks on individual farms. Oftenhe built the water turbines of iron from ships thatstranded on the coast. In 1926 he bought a new Ford-T car, the first car in the area. He built a trout hatchery,a freezing facility on his farm, and a slaughterhouse.A true innovator and entrepreneur. After his untimelydeath his co-workers continued to build micro hydropower stations.

Sveinn Pálsson (1762-1840) studied medicine and natural science in Copenhagen and livedall his professional life in the Katla Geopark area. He carried out systematic observations ofIcelandic glaciers in the 1790s where he observed that glaciers move by creeping in a wayanalogous to the flow of tar. This accomplishment was not recognized at the time as hisresearch papers were not published until a part of it in Danish in the 1880s. It has been arguedthat if they had been published earlier he would have been recognized as the father of glaciology.Sveinn lived in Vík for most of his professional life and is buried in the old churchyard at Reynir.

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Innovators and entrepreneurs

The Katla Geopark area used to be isolated fromneighbouring communities because of unbridgedglacial rivers that were difficult to cross. Towardsthe south was the coastline with no naturalharbours and inland were mountains and icecaps.This environment fostered on one handinnovation and entrepreneurship, on the otheran understanding of the natural forces at work.

The spirit of innovation is still flourishing in theKatla Geopark area. Þorvaldseyri is a pioneeringfarm in growing cereals in Iceland and has nowan exhibition on the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in2010. The farm has its own micro hydro, a hotwater borehole, and is now experimenting withusing rape seed oil both as cooking oil as wellas fuel for the tractors on the farm. Þakgil isanother example. There a new camp site hasbeen developed from scratch very close to theKatla volcano. A micro hydro power station hasbeen built providing electricity for the campinghuts, and an open air dining facility has beencarved out in a cave in the soft palagoniteformation.

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Drawing from 1798 by Sæmundur Hólm.

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Herding sheep from Hvítmaga across Sólheimajökull glacier.

Keeping faith in Mother Nature.

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The Eldgjá eruption was a catastrophic eruptionthat had worldwide impact. The Eldgjá tephrafrom the eruption is widespread in the northernhemisphere. Total magma volume produced inthe Eldgjá eruption has been estimated to bearound 19 km3. Lava flowed towards Álftaveron the Mýrdalssandur sand plain, along theSkaftá river course and down to Meðalland (theLandbrotshraun lava) and reached the Atlanticocean in Alviðruhamrar in Álftaver.

EldgjáKatla Geopark is home to two of the largestbasaltic flood lava eruptions in historical timesin Iceland, Laki in 1783-1784 and Eldgjá around938 AD. The Eldgjá fissure is at least 50 km long,extending from the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap in thesouthwest (Katla), into the Vatnajökull ice capin the northeast. The most spectacular part ofEldgjá is a 8 km long part of it in the southwestwhere the fissure is about 400 m wide and 150m deep. The fissure is a complex volcanicstructure of a graben, an eruptive fissure andan explosive crater row. In the southernmostpart the eruption was subglacial, and caused alarge glacial outburst flood in association withthe eruption, jökulhlaup.

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The Eldgjá and Laki lavaflows are not only bigon an Icelandic scale, they are also some of thelargest lava flows on earth since the end of theice age about 10.000 years ago. The two lavastreams have very different appearance, the Lakilava is covered with thick moss while the Eldgjálava is often covered with younger material butalso characterized by countless number ofpseudocraters or rootless vents (Landbrotshólarand Álftavershólar). These have been comparedto similar features observed on the planet Mars.

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TindfjallajökullTindfjallajökull is the oldest and most maturevolcanic system in Katla Geopark. No eruptionshave been recorded there since the time ofsettlement but some small eruptions are believedto have taken place in early postglacial time.A well-known ignimbrite layer in the Þórsmörkarea is believed to have originated from a largeexplosive eruption in the Tindfjöll volcanic systemabout 55.000 years ago when a 5 km widecaldera is believed to have been formed.

Tindfjallajökull is one of the smaller icecaps inIceland but the peaks of Ýmir and Ýma, thattake their names from Norse mythology, providefor excellent all-around view, reaching a heightof 1.462 m above sea level. The area is also apopular training ground for rescue teams.

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The word Tindfjöll now hasa new aroma asTindfjallahangikjöt (Tindfjöllsmoked lamb) has beenmarketed as a special treat,especially at Christmas time.

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Tindfjallajökull is a populararea for hikers and skiers butalso for more extreme sports

like rock and ice climbing,snowboarding, snowkiting

and hang gliding.

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Rangárþing eystra is one of the three munici-palities in the Katla Geopark area with a popula-tion of about 1.750. The main livelihood of thecommunity is within agriculture and tourism.The area is well known for its tourism attractions;waterfalls, glaciers, Þórsmörk, a protected siteof natural interest, and now the volcano eruptionin Eyjafjallajökull. It also offers a wide range ofaccommodation and activities for guests visitingthe area. The largest settlement is the townHvolsvöllur (population 850) which is one of thefew inland located towns in Iceland. It starteddeveloping in 1930 and is now the main servicecentre for the agriculture and tourism in thearea. The town is situated in one of the mostimportant Saga regions of the country, with someof the main stages of the renowned Njal's Saga.

Mýrdalshreppur is another municipality in theKatla Geopark area, with a population of around470. Vík, the center of the municipality with apopulation of 290, has developed as an importantlocal commercial centre and service for the travelindustry. The northern border of the municipalityis the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which caps thevolcanic Mt. Katla, while its southern limits areblack sands and the rolling Atlantic waves. Víkand its surroundings is one of the main bird lifeareas in Iceland. Just east of Vík is one of thelargest colonies of Artic terns in the country,and huge colonies of puffin, kittiwake and fulmarinhabit the cliffs sheltering the village to thewest. Fulmar nests in cliffs and mountain gulliesall along Mýrdalur.

The third muncipality of the Katla Geopark areais Skaftárhreppur with a population of around450. The centre of the local farming communityis Kirkjubæjarklaustur, population 120, usuallyreferred to as Klaustur or the Convent. The namecomes from the fact that in 1186 a Benedictineconvent was founded at Kirkjubær. The conventwas active until the Reformation in 1550 andgives name to many local places like Systrastapi,the rock of the convent sisters, a high steep rockwith an excellent view over the area and theLaki lava stream. The village is well situatedbetween the glacial river Skaftá and low woodedhills with the beautiful fall Systrafoss right in thevillage. At the edge of the village is Kirkjugólf,Church Floor, a 80m2 protected natural monu-ment, a columnar basalt formation that resemblesa floor laid with hexagonal tiles.

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© Photos: Björgvin Þórðarson, Erla Berglind Sigurðardóttir, Frank Bradford, Héraðsskjalasafn Vestmannaeyja/Kjartan Guðmundsson, Helga Davids, Hrafn Óskarsson,Ingibjörg Eiríksdóttir, Jónas Erlendsson, Kristinn Jónsson, Lovísa Ásbjörnsdóttir, Monique Starr, Morgunblaðið/Golli, Ólafur Eggertsson, Regína Hreinsdóttir,

Rögnvaldur Ólafsson, Sigurður Sigursveinsson, Sigurgeir Már Jensson, Sigurlaug Linnet, Skógasafn/Sverrir Magnússon, Snorri Baldursson, Sveinbjörn Jónsson,Þorsteinn Jónsson, Þorsteinn Valsson, Þórhildur Jónsdóttir, Þórir N. Kjartansson, Valgerður Helgadóttir, Þuríður H. Aradóttir.

Front page: Hrafn Óskarsson. Drawing: Sæmundur Hólm. Layout: Auglýsingastofa Þórhildar 2511.5. Printing: Ísafoldarprentsmiðja.

Katla Geopark Project - 2011www.katlageopark.is Authors: Sigurður Sigursveinsson, Steingerður Hreinsdóttir.

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What is a Geopark?Geoparks combine conservation, sustainable developmentand community involvement. The geological heritage isimportant but educating the public about the environmentand promoting regional sustainable development is ofparamount importance.

EGNEstablished in 2000, the EuropeanGeoparks Network (EGN) aims to protectgeodiversity, to promote geologicalheritage to the general public as well asto support sustainable economic develop-ment of geopark territories primarily

through the development of geological tourism. The networkhas united territories from across Europe that share theseaims and which are now working together in an active anddynamic way to achieve them.Originally consisting of four territories, the network has, asof April 2010, been expanded to include 43 territories across17 European countries.

GGNUNESCO gives its ad hoc support tonational Geopark initiatives which arecoordinated through a global networkof national geoparks (Global GeoparksNetwork [GGN]) where national geo-

logical heritage initiatives benefit fully from their membershipof a global network of exchange and cooperation. As ofOctober 2010 the GGN has 77 members in 25 countries.

In 2001 the European Geoparks Network signed a formalagreement with UNESCO whereby UNESCO gave the networkits endorsement. A further agreement was signed withUNESCO in 2004 whereby the EGN was given responsibilityfor regulating membership of the UNESCO Global Networkof Geoparks in Europe.

www.katlageopark.is

,!7IJ9H9-hcaaad!ISBN 978-9979-72-000-3

katla geopark

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