Fimmvörðuháls
Encyclopedia
Fimmvörðuháls is the area between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull
and Mýrdalsjökull
in southern Iceland
. The route between Skógar
and Thórsmörk goes through this pass and is one of the most popular walking routes in Iceland, despite being 22 km long and involving 1,000 m of climbing. At Fimmvörðuháls, there is a comfortable, modern mountain hut owned by Útivist, one of the Icelandic hiking associations. Also nearby is an older, less well-equipped hut called Baldvinsskáli. The route from Skógar is particularly beautiful, as numerous waterfalls are passed along the way. The route is only accessible between mid-June and late-August. On the night of 16 May 1970, three travellers died in the mountain pass in a snowstorm.
It is also possible to combine the Fimmvörðuháls route with the Laugavegur trek between Landmannalaugar
and Thórsmörk to make a trip of 4–6 days in length.
volcano
began in Fimmvörðuháls following months of small earthquakes
under the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. The eruption began around 23:00 and opened a 0.5 km (0.310686368324903 mi) long fissure vent
on the northern part of the pass.
Just over a week later, the Fimmvörðuháls eruption produced a 300 metres (984.3 ft)-long fissure and new craters were seen erupting on a northward path
toward the area of Thórsmörk, a popular tourist nature preserve, prompting tours to stop briefly as volcanologist
s assessed the situation further. The two new craters at Fimmvörduháls were named Magni and Móði, after the sons of Thor, the Norse god of thunder. It is an apt name because Thórsmörk is close to the craters. The new lava field was named Goðahraun, because the lava streamed in the area Goðaland. These official names were accepted by the Minister of Education and Culture 15 June 2010.
In April 2010, this was followed by a larger eruption on Eyjafjallajökull
itself, and there are fears that this will trigger an even larger eruption of nearby Katla.
Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in...
and Mýrdalsjökull
Mýrdalsjökull
Mýrdalsjökull mire dale glacier" or " mire valley glacier") is a glacier in the south of Iceland. It is situated to the north of Vík í Mýrdal and to the east of the smaller glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Between these two glaciers is Fimmvörðuháls pass. Its peak reaches in height and in 1980 it covered...
in southern Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. The route between Skógar
Skógar
Skógar , literally forests, is a small Icelandic village with a population of roughly 25 located at the south of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, in the municipality of Rangárþing eystra....
and Thórsmörk goes through this pass and is one of the most popular walking routes in Iceland, despite being 22 km long and involving 1,000 m of climbing. At Fimmvörðuháls, there is a comfortable, modern mountain hut owned by Útivist, one of the Icelandic hiking associations. Also nearby is an older, less well-equipped hut called Baldvinsskáli. The route from Skógar is particularly beautiful, as numerous waterfalls are passed along the way. The route is only accessible between mid-June and late-August. On the night of 16 May 1970, three travellers died in the mountain pass in a snowstorm.
It is also possible to combine the Fimmvörðuháls route with the Laugavegur trek between Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar is a region near the volcano Hekla in southern section of Iceland's highlands.The Landmannalaugar area is a popular tourist destination and hiking hub in Iceland's highlands. The area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like the multicolored rhyolite mountains and...
and Thórsmörk to make a trip of 4–6 days in length.
2010 eruption
On 20 March 2010, an eruption of the EyjafjallajökullEyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in...
volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
began in Fimmvörðuháls following months of small earthquakes
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
under the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. The eruption began around 23:00 and opened a 0.5 km (0.310686368324903 mi) long fissure vent
Fissure vent
A fissure vent, also known as a volcanic fissure or simply fissure, is a linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts, usually without any explosive activity. The vent is usually a few meters wide and may be many kilometers long. Fissure vents can cause large flood basalts and lava channels...
on the northern part of the pass.
Just over a week later, the Fimmvörðuháls eruption produced a 300 metres (984.3 ft)-long fissure and new craters were seen erupting on a northward path
toward the area of Thórsmörk, a popular tourist nature preserve, prompting tours to stop briefly as volcanologist
Volcanologist
A volcanologist is a person who studies the formation of volcanoes, and their current and historic eruptions. Volcanologists frequently visit volcanoes, especially active ones, to observe volcanic eruptions, collect eruptive products including tephra , rock and lava samples...
s assessed the situation further. The two new craters at Fimmvörduháls were named Magni and Móði, after the sons of Thor, the Norse god of thunder. It is an apt name because Thórsmörk is close to the craters. The new lava field was named Goðahraun, because the lava streamed in the area Goðaland. These official names were accepted by the Minister of Education and Culture 15 June 2010.
In April 2010, this was followed by a larger eruption on Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in...
itself, and there are fears that this will trigger an even larger eruption of nearby Katla.