Iceland: Day 9 - Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters

July 3, 2004

Along the south of Mývatn is the small community of Skútustaðir which is also the location of a bunch of tightly packed pseudocraters knows as Skútustaðagígar. The pseudocraters look like bonsai volcanoes. They are created when lava pours over marshland, boiling the water beneath, which bursts through the solidigying crust to form a cone. They occur in groups around the lake shore and most of the islands are also pseudocraters (the largest at 30m high is Geitey). We spent about an hour walking along the paths and boardwalks around the pseudocraters.

Panoramic view of Skútustaðagígar

Rubby heading out along the path

 
marsh marigolds and scheuchzer's cottongrass

View of Vindbelgjarfjall to the north.

A phalarope swimming close to shore

Splish, splash, a phalarope is taking a bath...

One of the ducks of Mývatn - possibly a female eider?

A whole flock of ducks (barrow's goldeneyes?) enjoying the beautiful scenery.

 
A bird's egg with hand for scale... mushrooms on the right.

A pseudocrater (note the person on the rim for scale)

Several pseudocraters and a mountain (Vindbelgjarfjall) to the north.

a male eider duck and some chicks

Whooper swans (remember cygnus cygnus... cygnus?) also enjoy the lake.

View from the rim of a pseudocrater.
Note the Hverfjall crater in the center background and all the lava flow surrounding the house.

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