Prestahnukur

The classic Icelandic volcano Skjaldbreidur is perhaps the best known of the many small shield volcanoes that were constructed along rift zones where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rises above sea level. Skjaldbreidur, seen here from the west along route 52, was formed about 9500 years ago during a single long-duration eruption at the southern end of the Prestahnukur volcanic system in central Iceland. The broad, low-angle shield volcano produced 17 cu km of basaltic lava flows and is capped by a small 300-m-wide summit crater.

Type/Process: Shield Volcano
Volcanic Status: Radiocarbon
Image Number: 057-068
Photographer: Richie Williams, 1981 (U.S. Geological Survey)
Summit Elevation: 1390? meters
Latitude/Longitude: 64.60 N / 20.58 W
Timeframe: Last known eruption B.C. (Holocene)
Region: Iceland and Arctic Ocean