Skjaldbreiður
| Skjaldbreiður | |
|---|---|
Skjaldbreiður as seen from Þingvellir
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Naming | |
| Translation | broad shield (Icelandic) |
| Geography | |
 Skjaldbreiður
Iceland
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| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 9,000 years |
| Mountain type | shield volcano |
Skjaldbreiður, meaning the broad shield in Icelandic, is an Icelandic lava shield formed in one huge and protracted eruption roughly 9,000 years ago[citation needed]. The extensive lava fields which were produced by this eruption, flowed southwards, and formed the basin of Þingvallavatn, Iceland's largest lake, and Þingvellir, the "Parliament Plains" where the Icelandic national assembly, the Alþing was founded in 930.
The volcano culminates at 1,060 meters, and its crater measures roughly 300 meters in diameter.
Straddling the Mid-Atlantic ridge, the lava fields from Skjaldbreiður have been torn and twisted over the millennia, forming a multitude of fissures and rifts inside the Þingvellir National Park, the best known of which are Almannagjá, Hrafnagjá and Flosagjá.
Gallery
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Skjaldbreidur Panorama.jpg
Skjaldbreiður crater in snow.
References
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