Álftafjörður (Austfirðir)
Álftafjörður | ||
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At Álftafjörður |
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Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
Land mass | Iceland | |
Geographical location | 64 ° 33 '58 " N , 14 ° 30' 5" W | |
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width | 7 km | |
depth | 7 km | |
Tributaries | Hofsár, Geithellnaár | |
From Snjótindur over Álftafjörður |
The Álftafjörður ( Eng. "Swan Fjord ") is a fjord in southeast Iceland .
It is located between Lón Bay and Hamarsfjörður . There are actually a lot of swans in the area - but more often in neighboring Hamarsfjörður than in the actual Schwanenfjord.
Characteristics
Since the fjord is fairly shallow, much of it is dry at low tide. In addition, it is getting smaller and smaller due to the deposits that the two rivers Hofsár and Geithellnaár bring into it. Some also refer to Álftafjörður as a lagoon , because in front of it there is a narrow sandbank called Starmýrartangi , which is flooded when the waves and water level are high.
geology
The fjord is the mostly seawater-filled caldera of the extinct Álftafjörður volcano . The surrounding mountains often consist of rhyolite because of the large central volcano named after the fjord, which was active there about 7 million years ago.
Former rural community
Inland from the Álftafjörður fjord is the formerly independent rural community. There is a lot of fertile underland and small forests lie in the side valleys of the mountains.
Islands
Some islands are located in the fjord and are used for pasture and eiderdown removal .
See also
literature
- Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. 2. bindi. Edited by T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon. Örn and Örlygur, Reykjavík 1989
- Ari Trausti Guðmundsson , Á ferð um hringveginn, Rvk. 1990