Mývatn
Sign in to saveMývatn () is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provide a habitat for a number of waterbirds, especially ducks. The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars and rootless vents (pseudocraters). The effluent river Laxá is known for its rich fishing for brown trout and Atlantic salmon.
Key facts
- Body of water.name
- Mývatn
- Body of water.image
- Mývatn-pjt.jpg
- Body of water.caption
- Mývatn, near Höfði Nature Park
- Body of water.caption_bathymetry
- Map with surrounding lakes and ponds. The river Laxá in the upper left corner.
- Body of water.pushpin_map
- Iceland
- Body of water.lake_type
- Volcanogenic, eutrophic
- Body of water.outflow
- Laxá
- Body of water.basin_countries
- Iceland
via Wikipedia infobox
~11 min read
Encyclopedic overview
11 sectionsContents
- Geography
- Climate
- Flora and fauna
- Birds
- Plants
- Volcanism
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- Notes
- External links
Mývatn () is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provide a habitat for a number of waterbirds, especially ducks. The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars and rootless vents (pseudocraters). The effluent river Laxá is known for its rich fishing for brown trout and Atlantic salmon.
The name of the lake (Icelandic ("midge") and ("lake"); "the lake of midges") comes from the large numbers of midges present in the summer.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mývatn” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Gallery (8)
On the map
3 mapped locations