Iceland: Day 9 - Hverfjall Crater

July 3, 2004

From our campsite we could see Hverfjall, Mývatn's most easily identified landmark. It's a classic tephra cone volcano made of black ash and pumice. At 2500 years old, Hverfjall is a bit younger than the lake and you can hike 400m up to the rim and walk all around the perimeter of the kilometre-wide caldera. On the inside of the flat-floored crater previous visitors have engaged in some volcanic graffiti, scraping away dark topsoil and using giant rocks to write their messages.

The sign shows a top view of the crater and the hiking path.

A panoramic view of the volcano from the rim.

Some volcanic graffiti on the crater's flat floor.

A view of the Dimmuborgir lava lake to the south.
Note the people starting their climb up the crater.

 
These hardy plants add patches of colour to the black ash and pumice of the volcano.

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