Reykjanes
Encyclopedia
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
and a volcanic system situated at the south-western end of 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...
, near the capital of Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
.
The peninsula is marked by active volcanism
Volcanism
Volcanism is the phenomenon connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity. It includes all phenomena resulting from and causing magma within the crust or mantle of a planet to rise through the crust and form volcanic rocks on the surface....
under its surface, and 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...
fields, allowing little vegetation. There are numerous hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
and sulphur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
springs in the southern half of the peninsula, around the Kleifarvatn
Kleifarvatn
Kleifarvatn is the largest lake on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland, situated in the southern part of the peninsula on the fissure zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The lake can be reached via a track, and there are two areas with high temperature that can be found not far from it: Seltún/Krýsuvík...
lake and the Krýsuvík
Krýsuvík
The geothermal area Krýsuvík is situated on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. It is in the south of Reykjanes in the middle of the fissure zone on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which traverses Iceland diagonally from the south-west to the north-east of the island....
geothermal
Geothermal
Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:* The geothermal gradient and associated heat flows from within the Earth- Renewable technology :...
area.
There is also a geothermal power station at Svartsengi
Svartsengi Power Station
The Svartsengi Power Station is a geothermal power station located in Keflavik, Iceland, near the Keflavík International Airport at the Reykjanes Peninsula. As of December 2007, it produces 76.5 MW of energy, and about 475 litres/second of hot water...
. Near the power station is a swimming pool has been installed using the hot and mineralized water coming down from the power station; it is known as the "Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon (geothermal spa)
The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The steamy waters are part of a lava formation. The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland...
" (Bláa Lónið).
The Leif the Lucky (or Miðlína) Bridge spans the Álfagjá rift valley
Rift valley
A rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift or fault. This action is manifest as crustal extension, a spreading apart of the surface which is subsequently further deepened by the forces of erosion...
(60 feet wide and 20 feet (6.1 m) deep) near Grindavik
Grindavík
Grindavík is a fishing town at the peninsula of Reykjanes at the south-western coast of Iceland.It is one of the few cities with a harbour at this coast. Most of the 2,800 inhabitants work in the fishing industry...
, which marks the boundary of the Eurasian and North American continental tectonic plates
Tectonic Plates
Tectonic Plates is a 1992 independent Canadian film directed by Peter Mettler. Mettler also wrote the screenplay based on the play by Robert Lepage. The film stars Marie Gignac, Céline Bonnier and Robert Lepage.-Plot summary:...
. It was built in 2002 and named in honor of Icelandic explorer Leif Eriksson who traveled from Europe to America 500 years before Columbus.
Some fishing towns, such as Grindavík
Grindavík
Grindavík is a fishing town at the peninsula of Reykjanes at the south-western coast of Iceland.It is one of the few cities with a harbour at this coast. Most of the 2,800 inhabitants work in the fishing industry...
and Njarðvík
Njarðvík
Njarðvík is a town in south-western Iceland located on the peninsula of Reykjanes. As of 2009, its population was 4,400.-History:In 1995 it merged with the town of Keflavík and the village of Hafnir to form the new municipality of Reykjanesbær....
are situated on the peninsula as well as the town Keflavík
Keflavík
Keflavík is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. In 2009 its population was of 8,169.In 1995 it merged with Njarðvík and Hafnir to form a municipality called Reykjanesbær with a population of 13,971 .- History :...
, the site of the Keflavík International Airport and the Leifur Eriksson Air Terminal
Keflavík International Airport
-Cargo airlines:-Ground transport:Transport between the airport and Reykjavik city is by road only. The distance is 50 km. A new fast freeway was opened 2008. The buses have a timetable adapted to the flight schedule. They go to and from the Reykjavik bus terminal, taking around 45 minutes...
and the former American military base
Naval Air Station Keflavik
United States Naval Air Station Keflavik is a former NATO facility at Keflavík International Airport, Iceland. It is located on the Reykjanes peninsula on the south-west portion of the island...
.
External links
Photography: