Iceland 1930

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1830571079

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-221162

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Iceland 1930

Edition:: 2. ed.

Place of publication:: Reykjavík

Publisher:: Ríkisprentsmiđjan Gutenberg

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: 193 S.; Tab., Kt., Taf.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Geographical sketch

Collection:: Economics Books

JOKULLS A great part of the highlands is covered with perpetual snow (jok- ulls) which occupies upwards of 14 000 square kilometres, or a little more than 13 per cent. of the total area. Largest of all the j6kulls is ‘he Vatnajokull in the south-eastern corner of the country, extending over 8500 square kilometres. There are other large jdkulls in the in- terior (Hofsjokull, Langjékull), besides a number of high ice-capped mountains here and there near the coast, the most prominent being Eyjafiallaiékull and Mprdalsjékull in the south. The height of the snow line at Hornstrandir (in the north-west) is only 650 metres a- bove the level of the sea, while in the east, north of Vatnaiokull, it ascends to 1250 metres. VOLCANOES AND ERUPTIONS Iceland is thickly studded with extinct and active volcanoes. During the 1050 years it has been inhabited, over 20 volcanoes have had eruptions, some of them repeatedly, so that more than 100 eruptions are now on record. The best known of these volcanoes is Mount Hekla which has had 22 eruptions within historic times. Most of the volcanic mountains are situated in the south, whence a chain of them extends northward across the eastern part of the highlands to the Mpvatn (Midgewater) in the north. -- These frequent eruptions have sometimes caused a great deal of damage, though neither so often nor to such an extent as might have been expected. This is because the active volcanoes are in the interior wildernesses of the country and for the most part far from human habitation. The greatest devas- tation on record was caused by the Skaft (or Laki) eruption in 1783, when the lava flood laid a number of farms in ruins and showers of ashes covered the country far and wide, destroying vegetation and poisoning the air, and thus giving a terrible blow to Icelandic farming. When ice-capped mountains erupt, the jskull partly melts, and then bursts, and an enormous flood of water, carrying huge blocks of ice, comes tearing down the mountain-side, sweeping everything before it, and turning whole districts into deserts. The floods are called Jokul- hlaup (Gokull bursts). HOT SPRINGS In close connexion with volcanoes and volcanic activity are the Hot Springs (hverar), of which there is a great number in Iceland, scattered all

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Iceland 1930

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation