bubbling mud pits and a strong sulpherous smell
on the boardwalk to Leirhnjúkur
the Viti crater is filled with greenish water
the red structures sit above a borehole, from there the steam is transported by pipe to the powerplant
the powerplant is to the right, the steam comes from the condensors
the site of the recent lavaflow, still steaming and warm
a blue vent, dormant for the moment
the boardwalk leads you safely along the active area
the impressive landscape in the Krafla caldera
Northeast of Lake Myvatn is the large Krafla caldera with a bulging magma chamber just a few kms below it.
The region is extremely
active.
The Myvatn Fires in the 18th century threatened nearby village Reykjahlid, and lavaflows between 1975 and 1984
created large jet black lavafields
Most of the activities are concentrated around the Leirhnjúkur volcano. Even today the rocks
here are warm with a faint fog of water vapour hanging around it.
Here you will also find active mudpots and steam vents.
Closeby
is the Vitti crater that resulted from a massive eruption in 1724. Inside the crater is a greenish lake.
The
Krafla Powerplant harvests
60 MW of electrical power from the geothermal activity in Krafla. For this they have drilled several boreholes that feed the steam
to the plant.
the Krafla region northeast of Lake Myvatn
an overview of the Krafla Power Station geothermal facilities
better stay away from the edge
be carefull, that water is hot
on Iceland you see sheep everywhere
Viti crater
power plant
Leirhnjúkur