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There is a high temperature geothermal area in
Brennisteinsfjöll, but it is rather remote, about 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Reykjavík in the inner part of the Reykjavík peninsula. Fumaroles are to be found within an area of a few acres, and two more areas show signs of hydrothermal
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It is a possible cause of St. Mary
Magdalene’s flood 1342 in Central Europe und following bad years with Black Death to 1350. Brennisstein is the word for sulfur on Iceland, so great sulfur emissions with worldwide cooling for some years are possible and quite normal by this volcanic system.
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The mine was situated in a lava slope. The sulfur “was deposited into holes and fractures in the lava and between lava layers”. It was therefore difficult to reach and mine. The miners had first to break up the lava to get to the sulfur. The current geothermal activity is above this area.
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alteration. The surface conditions are complicated with a rough lava surface and the geothermal features which are located at a height of 450–500 m (1,480–1,640 ft) can only be reached on foot. The stratigraphy of the region includes hyaloclastite, older and younger lava flows.
298:
bay forming lava falls on their way. Previously it was thought that this lava flow had ceased before the settlement of
Iceland (i.e. the end of the 8th century), but this is now thought that this was not the case as the coastal trail (now Route 42) was covered in lava at one stage.
111:
783:
Huang
Maochang: Possible environmental impacts of drilling exploratory wells for geothermal development in the Brennisteinsfjöll area, SW-Iceland. United National University. Geothermal Training Programme. Reports 2001,
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Huang
Maochang: Possible environmental impacts of drilling exploratory wells for geothermal development in the Brennisteinsfjöll area, SW-Iceland. United National University. Geothermal Training Programme. Reports 2001,
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Daníel Páll Jónasson: Hraunflæði á höfuðborgarsvæðinu Saga hraunflæðis á svæðinu á nútíma og kortlagning mögulegra farvega til byggða. BS ritgerð. Leiðbeinandi:Ármann Höskuldsson. Háskóli Íslands, Reykjavík
266:, scientists define this as an oblique arrangement. The volcanic systems of Reykjanes, Brennisteinsfjöll included, are stretched out in northeast-southwesterly direction over the rift on the peninsula.
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The volcanic system of
Brennisteinsfjöll is 45 km (28 mi) long, has a width of about 10 km (6.2 mi) and covers about 280 km (110 sq mi). Most to the south are the
21:
Selected geological features near the
Brennisteinsfjöll volcanic system (approximate outline in red). Clicking on the image enables mouse-over with more detail where shading also shows: other
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is found here, though today in small amounts. But in the 19th century, a sulfur mine was run in the region by people from the United
Kingdom. Mining was carried out just til the 1880s.
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184:. Brennisteinsfjöll does not include such a central volcano. The existence of the fissure systems in Iceland is explained by its situation, located on top of the
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See eg.: Amy E. Clifton, Simon A. Kattenhorn: Structural architecture of a highly oblique divergent plate boundary segment. Tectonophysics 419 (2006).
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In
Iceland there are about 32 volcanic systems. Volcanic system means a volcano-tectonic fissure system and – very often a bigger volcano, a so-called
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between the lava and the slope. There are still some ruins of the former mine and traces of transportation paths.
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282:. The volcanic system was the most productive of all the volcanic systems of the Reykjanes peninsula during the
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Ari
Trausti Guðmundsson, Pétur Þorsteinsson: Íslensk fjöll. Gönguleiðir á 152 tind. Reykjavík 2004, p. 300
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Brennisteinsfjöll. Detailed description. In: Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes. Retrieved 27 July 2020
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Thor Thordarson, Armann Hoskuldsson: Iceland. Classic geology of Europe 3. Harpenden 2002, pp.6–8
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Thor Thordarson, Armann Hoskuldsson: Iceland. Classic geology of Europe 3. Harpenden 2002, p. 14
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Thor Thordarson, Armann Hoskuldsson: Iceland. Classic geology of Europe 3. Harpenden 2002, p.9
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One of the bigger lava flows of the system run south from Brennisteinsfjöll to the coast at
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https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.527.30&rep=rep1&type=pdf
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Part of the Brennisteinsfjöll volcanic system are the Brennisteinsfjöll themselves (up on
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These volcanic systems are arranged en echelon and in a ca. 45° angle to the direction of
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with 30-40 eruptions and around 10 since the settlement of Iceland in the 9th century.
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679:Þorleifur Einarsson: Geology of Iceland. Rocks and landscape. Reykjavík 1991, pp.61–63
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Suðvesturland. Friðlýst Svæði. Umhverfisstofnun. Government of Iceland.(in Icelandic
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Brennisteinsfjöll is one of four (some scientists say five) volcanic systems on the
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Some protected areas are to be found in the region of Brennisteinsfjöll. These are
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Brennisteinsfjöll towards the south-east is one of the volcanic systems in Iceland
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and to the south of the cities on the Reykjanes peninsula of Southwest Iceland.
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The mountain range is located at about 20 to 25 km (12 to 16 mi) from
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The place of the former mine can be found by hiking the old trail Selvogsgata
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https://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/reykjanespeninsula/
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near Reykjavík are also connected to a lava flow from this volcanic system.
378:), not really a mountain range, more some hills and crater rows, and the
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Icelandic Met Office (IMO). Earthquake Monitoring. Reykjanes Peninsula
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794:Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga of sérkenni. Reykjavík 1989, pp.44–45
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Brennisteinsfjoll, Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution
661:Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga of sérkenni. Reykjavík 1989, p.44-45
743:Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga of sérkenni. Reykjavík 1989, p. 797
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crater trio – now famous because it is possible to see a magmatic
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https://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/volcanic-eruptions/
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The last eruption in the Brennisteinsfjöll volcanic system was a
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838:
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Note: Volcanoes listed here have "central volcanoes" unless a
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under the island which stands for increased magma production.
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As the name (Brennisteinsfjöll = Sulfur Mountains) suggests,
270:
General description of the Brennisteinsfjöll volcanic system
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in Southwest Iceland, as such the system forms part of the
81:
Map of the Bláfjöll region with different volcanic edifices
247:; and to the northeast of the Brennisteinsfjöll lies the
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Eldborg-Grindavíkurbæ. Friðflýst Svæði. Umverfisstofnun.
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from the inside -, and some craters named Eldborg (e.g.
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Eldborg í Bláfjöllum. Friðflýst Svæði. Umverfisstofnun.
49:
subglacial terrain above 1,100 m (3,600 ft),
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Position within Iceland’s volcano-tectonic environment
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Brennisteinfjöll is not high. The highest mountain is
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Known mountains, craters and other volcanic landforms
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994:
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215:at the tip of the peninsula, which mostly includes
251:which reaches out to the northeast over the lake
56:seismically active areas between 1995 and 2007.
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360:and the following the so-called Draugahlíðar
227:; to the east of the Reykjanes system is the
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89:Lava fields of the Brennisteinsfjöll around
458:Country Park and the two Natural Monuments
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382:mountain massif. The system includes two
192:. There is most probably also a magmatic
454:Nature Reserve, Reykjanes Country Park,
231:, including the geothermal areas around
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446:Nature protection in Brennisteinsfjöll
329:In a fault, not far from Grindarskörð
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321:Brennisteinsfjöll geothermal areas
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1117:Brennisteinsfjöll Volcanic System
116:, "Sulfur mountains") is a minor
558:Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes
65:Brennisteinsfjöll from Route 417
290:Eruptions and current situation
105:[ˈprɛnːɪˌsteinsˌfjœtl̥]
541:Volcanism of Brennisteinsfjöll
508:Geology of Reykjanes Peninsula
1:
432:Stóra-Eldborg undir Geitahlíð
313:Most of its rocks consist of
1018:Snæfellsjökull Volcanic Zone
528:List of volcanoes in Iceland
278:crater row and to the north
1107:Volcanic systems of Iceland
363:[ˈtrœyːɣaˌl̥iːðar̥]
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513:Krýsuvík (volcanic system)
229:Krýsuvík (volcanic system)
201:big peninsula of Reykjanes
16:Volcanic system in Iceland
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1044:Öræfajökull Volcanic Zone
460:Eldborgir undir Geitahlíð
394:. Among the many smaller
357:[ˈsɛlˌvɔksˌkaːta]
209:Reykjanes volcanic system
176:which in most cases is a
91:Helgafell (Hafnarfjörður)
615:IMO. Aviation Color Code
569:Global Volcanism Program
332:[ˈkrɪntarˌskœrθ]
241:Trölladyngja (Reykjanes)
221:geothermal power station
190:divergent plate boundary
101:Icelandic pronunciation:
1112:Reykjanes Volcanic Belt
948:Reykjanes Volcanic Belt
574:Smithsonian Institution
249:Hengill volcanic system
205:Reykjanes Volcanic Belt
924:Northern Volcanic Zone
93:
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996:Western Volcanic Zone
875:Eastern Volcanic Zone
487:64.03833°N 21.55528°W
306:-2 eruption in 1341.
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1092:Volcanoes of Iceland
867:volcanoes of Iceland
518:Volcanism of Iceland
464:Eldborg í Bláfjöllum
428:Eldborg í Bláfjöllum
207:. These others are:
564:"Brennisteinsfjoll"
492:64.03833; -21.55528
483: /
130:Reykjanes Peninsula
35:central volcanoes,
979:Eldvörp–Svartsengi
648:2017-02-04 at the
611:2014-08-26 at the
594:Volcano monitoring
552:2017-02-04 at the
186:Mid-Atlantic Ridge
180:and may contain a
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396:subglacial mounds
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132:in southwest
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1051:Öræfajökull
1009:Hveravellir
883:Bárðarbunga
490: /
452:Herdísarvík
376:Hellisheiði
296:Herdísarvík
245:Kleifarvatn
225:Blue Lagoon
148:as well as
122:crater rows
1086:Categories
1035:Ljósufjöll
1030:Helgrindur
865:Monitored
620:References
579:2021-06-25
478:21°33′19″W
475:64°02′18″N
257:Þingvellir
217:Svartsengi
157:Vífilsfell
124:and small
1102:Reykjanes
1056:Esjufjöll
985:Reykjanes
893:Grímsvötn
440:Rauðhólar
416:Drottning
388:Heiðin há
219:with the
213:Gunnuhver
211:, around
146:Reykjavík
140:Geography
42:calderas
967:Krýsuvík
646:Archived
609:Archived
550:Archived
502:See also
456:Bláfjöll
380:Bláfjöll
284:Holocene
237:Krýsuvík
223:and the
194:hot spot
1072:fissure
956:Hengill
914:Surtsey
556:in the
434:). The
404:craters
264:rifting
182:caldera
163:Geology
134:Iceland
128:on the
120:, with
937:Krafla
418:, the
392:Leitin
345:sulfur
315:basalt
233:Seltún
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52:
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1074:only.
932:Askja
903:Katla
898:Hekla
784:no.5.
734:2012.
588:no.5.
400:tuyas
908:Laki
462:and
430:and
410:are
406:and
390:and
239:and
188:, a
1068:(f)
987:(f)
981:(f)
975:(f)
969:(f)
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939:(f)
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438:of
304:VEI
255:to
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566:.
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99:(
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