Prestahnúkur
Encyclopedia
The volcano
Prestahnúkur is situated in the west of the Highlands of Iceland
to the west of Langjökull
glacier, or to be more specific, to the west of Geitlandsjökull
glacier, a part of the Langjökull.
and has a small magma chamber
. At its feet is a high temperature area which shows that the volcano is active.
In 2009 some geologists of the Icelandic Meteorologic Institute researched the material about earthquake
events in the area. This shows that volcanic fissures lie in direction southwest-northeast and reach among others under the glaciers Þórisjökull
and Geitlandsjökull
-Langjökull
..
The origin of the name was an expedition of two priests into the highlands in the 17th century. It was seen as quite an enterprise at the time when they went into this region. They explored especially a valley behind the Þórisjökull called Þórisdalur, which had a bad reputation in sagas and folk stories because it was believed to be haunted by ghosts and that lawless people would be living there. As is clear today, they found nothing of the sort, but they were regarded as heroes when they came back from this expedition.
is situated not far from the mountain and it is possible to access the mountain by a bad jeep track and climb it.
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...
Prestahnúkur is situated in the west of 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...
to the west of Langjökull
Langjökull
Langjökull is the second largest ice cap in Iceland , after Vatnajökull. It is situated in the west of the Icelandic interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur....
glacier, or to be more specific, to the west of Geitlandsjökull
Geitlandsjökull
Geitlandsjökull is a lateral glacier of Langjökull, the second largest ice cap in Iceland , in the west of Iceland. The highest point of Geitlandsjökull, which lies on top of a tuya, reaches a height of 1,400 m....
glacier, a part of the Langjökull.
The volcanic system
The central volcano Prestahnúkur consists of rhyoliteRhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
and has a small magma chamber
Magma chamber
A magma chamber is a large underground pool of molten rock found beneath the surface of the Earth. The molten rock in such a chamber is under great pressure, and given enough time, that pressure can gradually fracture the rock around it creating outlets for the magma...
. At its feet is a high temperature area which shows that the volcano is active.
In 2009 some geologists of the Icelandic Meteorologic Institute researched the material about earthquake
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...
events in the area. This shows that volcanic fissures lie in direction southwest-northeast and reach among others under the glaciers Þórisjökull
Þórisjökull
Þórisjökull or Thórisjökull is a small glacier and volcano in western-central Iceland, to the southwest of Langjökull glacier. It has an elevation of . Kaldidalur lies in the foreground.-Position:...
and Geitlandsjökull
Geitlandsjökull
Geitlandsjökull is a lateral glacier of Langjökull, the second largest ice cap in Iceland , in the west of Iceland. The highest point of Geitlandsjökull, which lies on top of a tuya, reaches a height of 1,400 m....
-Langjökull
Langjökull
Langjökull is the second largest ice cap in Iceland , after Vatnajökull. It is situated in the west of the Icelandic interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur....
..
The rock
The rhyolite of the mountain was for some time very popular and exploited as construction material, partly for export. But the mine has been closed.The name
The name means "peak of the priests".The origin of the name was an expedition of two priests into the highlands in the 17th century. It was seen as quite an enterprise at the time when they went into this region. They explored especially a valley behind the Þórisjökull called Þórisdalur, which had a bad reputation in sagas and folk stories because it was believed to be haunted by ghosts and that lawless people would be living there. As is clear today, they found nothing of the sort, but they were regarded as heroes when they came back from this expedition.
Highland Road Kaldidalur and mountaineering
The highland road KaldidalurKaldidalur
The Kaldidalsvegur is the shortest of the highland tracks traversing the Highlands of Iceland, therefore the nickname "highlands for beginners". Its name derives from the valley it crosses: kaldidalur means "cold dale/valley"...
is situated not far from the mountain and it is possible to access the mountain by a bad jeep track and climb it.
See also
- Volcanoes of IcelandVolcanoes of IcelandIceland has a high concentration of active volcanoes due to the unique geological conditions of its location on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary. The island has 30 active volcanic systems, of which 13 have erupted since the settlement of Iceland in 874 AD.Of these 30...
- List of mountains in Iceland