GeologicalInterest 4/5
Krafla
Krafla is a 10 km volcanic caldera north of Mývatn combining the active Kröflustöð geothermal power station, whose boreholes and steam pipes can be viewed from a public parking area, with the Víti crater's opaque teal-green lake and the still-steaming Leirhnjúkur lava field. Visitors can walk boardwalks and gravel paths around Víti's rim and across Leirhnjúkur's sulphur-streaked ground.
Region
North Iceland
Coordinates
65.7213° N, 16.7935° W
Plan the stop
- Allow
- 2 hrs
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Limited
- The Víti crater rim path and the power station viewing area are reachable by short gravel walks from parking, but surfaces are uneven and not formally wheelchair certified.
- Limited mobility · Limited
- Short walks from the parking areas to Víti's rim and along the edge of Leirhnjúkur are manageable for some visitors, but the ground is uneven, hot in places, and can be muddy.
- Sensory · Partial
- Strong sulphur smell, hissing steam vents, and industrial noise near the power station contrast with the visual spectacle of the crater lake and lava field.
- Cognitive · Partial
- Marked paths and boardwalks guide visitors around hazardous ground, but visitors must stay on the path due to unstable, hot terrain near vents.
Why it matters
Construction of Kröflustöð coincided with the Krafla Fires (Kröflueldar), a series of about 24 eruptive episodes and magma intrusions between 1975 and 1984 that repeatedly raised and lowered the ground surface and produced the Leirhnjúkshraun lava field covering 33 km².