Katlahraun

Katlahraun is a lava field with beautiful and unusual lava formations.

The lava which created the Ketill (pot, kettle) flowed from craters called Moshólar (the main road runs now through it) approx. 2000 years ago. As a result of the cold seasurf breaking on it, a lava pond with round walls, was formed by the shore keeping the boiling lava inside. The poisonous gases from within the lava found its way out to the surface and cooled its surroundings and a lava-chimney was formed. The surface of the lava pond hardened but the hot lava beneath eventually broke through on the edges, forming tunnels and rough edges until the pond was empty. The hardened surface finally fell and broke down shaping the area with lots of broken flat lava rocks and the massive lava-chimney still standing.

How to get there: A track for 4wd-vehicles lies down to the Ketill and Selatangar-ruins on the coast from the road to Grindavík (427)