Herðubreið (ˈhɛrðʏpreiθ, broad-shouldered) is a tuya

Tuya

A tuya is a type of distinctive, flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. They are somewhat rare worldwide, being confined to regions which were covered by glaciers and also had active volcanism during the same time period.-Formation:Tuyas are...

 in north-east 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...

. It is situated in the Highlands of Iceland

Highlands of Iceland

The Highlands of Iceland cover most of the interior of Iceland. They are situated above 400–500 metres and are mostly an uninhabitable volcanic desert, because the water precipitating as rain or snow infiltrates so quickly into the ground that it is unavailable for plant growth, which results...

 in the midst of the Ódáðahraun desert

Desert

A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...

 and close to Askja

Askja

Askja is a stratovolcano situated in a remote part of the central highlands of Iceland. The name Askja refers to a complex of nested calderas within the surrounding Dyngjufjöll mountains, which rise to , askja meaning box or caldera in Icelandic-Location:The region is only accessible for a few...

 volcano. The desert is a large lava

Lava

Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...

 field originating from eruptions of Trölladyngja

Trölladyngja

Situated in the Ódáðahraun lava field, Trölladyngja is the biggest of the Icelandic shield volcanoes, reaching a height of above sea level, and rising almost 600 metres above the surrounding desert and lava fields....

. Herðubreið was formed beneath the icesheet that covered 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...

 during the last glacial period

Glacial period

A glacial period is an interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate within an ice age...

.

Overview

Due to the mountain's steep and unstable sides, the first ascent was in 1908 despite centuries of knowledge of its existence.

Near the mountain lies an oasis

Oasis

In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...

 called Herðubreiðarlindir with a campground and hiking trails. In former times, outcasts who had been excluded from Icelandic society because of crimes they had committed lived at the oasis. One such outlaw was Fjalla-Eyvindur

Fjalla-Eyvindur

Fjalla-Eyvindur was an Icelandic outlaw. He and his wife Halla are reported to have fled into the remote highlands of Iceland after 1760. They lived in the wilderness for twenty years...

, who lived there during the winter of 1774–1775.

External links

• http://gis.bofh.is/ornefnaskra/ (search engine and map of Iceland)

Images:

• Herðubreiðarlindir – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is
• http://isafold.de/panorama/panoram.htm (via "Askja")