Tindfjallajökull

Tindfjallajökull

Tindfjallajökull
Highest point
Elevation 1,462 m (4,797 ft)
Prominence 2,109.6 m (6,921 ft)
Coordinates 64°18′N 19°57′W / 64.300°N 19.950°W / 64.300; -19.950Coordinates: 64°18′N 19°57′W / 64.300°N 19.950°W / 64.300; -19.950
Geography
Location Iceland
Parent range Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Geology
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Last eruption Possibly Holocene

Tindfjallajökull is a stratovolcano in the south of Iceland.[1] It has erupted rocks of basaltic to rhyolitic composition, and a 5-km-wide caldera was formed during the eruption of the 54,000-year-old Thórsmörk Ignimbrite. It is capped by a glacier of 19 km².[2] Its highest peak is Ýmir (1462m),[2][3] which takes its name from the giant Ýmir of Norse mythology. The most recent eruption was at an unknown time in the Holocene.[1]

The name means "Tindfjöll glacier". Tindfjöll ("peak mountains") is a ridge that extends to the south of the glacier.

The rivers that flow from the glacier are Hvítmaga to the north-east, Gilsá to the south, Þórólfsá to the south-west, Valá to the north-west and Blesá to the north. Hvítmaga, Gilsá and Þórólfsá drain into Markarfljót while Valá and Blesá drain into Eystri Rangá.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Tindfjallajökull". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  2. 1 2 National Land Survey of Iceland (Icelandic)
  3. ↑ nat.is - Tindfjallajökull
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