Krafla

Infobox Mountain
Name = Krafla
Photo = Krafla usgs.jpg
Caption = Krafla in 1984
Elevation =650 metres (2,133 ft)
Location = Iceland
Range =
Prominence =
Coordinates = coord|65|44|0|N|16|47|0|W|type:mountain
Topographic

Type = Caldera
Age =
Last eruption = 1984
First ascent =
Easiest route =

Krafla is a caldera of about 10 km in diameter with a 90 km long fissure zone, in the north of Iceland in the Mývatn region. Its highest peak reaches up to 818 m.

Krafla includes one of the two best known Víti craters of Iceland, the second is part of Askja. The Icelandic word "víti" means "hell". In former times, people often believed Hell to be under volcanoes. The crater Víti has a green lake inside of it.

The Krafla area also includes "Námafjall", a geothermal area with boiling mudpools and steaming fumaroles.

During the years 1724-29, there were the so-called "Mývatn fires". A lot of fissure vents opened up and the lava fountains could be seen even in the south of the island. A lava flow destroyed 3 farms near the village Reykjahlíð, but nobody was harmed.

The last volcanic eruption at Krafla took place in 1984.

Since 1977 the geothermal energy has been put to use by means of a 60 MW power station. It has erupted 29 times and it is 2km in depth

ee also

*Geography of Iceland
*Lakes of Iceland
*List of volcanoes in Iceland
*Volcanoes of Iceland
*Geothermal power in Iceland

External links

* [http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_krafla.html volcanism] Photos: [http://www.bildungsservice.at/faecher/geo/Staaten%20und%20Landschaften/Island/Island%202/Island%202000-0021%20-%20Hverarönd%20-%20Solfatarenfeld.jpgNámaskarð] , [http://www.bildungsservice.at/faecher/geo/Staaten%20und%20Landschaften/Island/Island%202/Island%201996-0062%20-%20Krafla%20-%20Lavafeld.jpgLeirhnjúkur]
* [http://webast.ast.obs-mip.fr/people/petit/iceland.html Photos of Krafla and Reykjahlíð (among others)]