Kerid Crater

Iceland is a volcanically active country and therefore contains many craters. The most dramatic of these is the Kerid Crater. The Kerid Crater contains a crater lake, which formed by explosion of the volcanic cone and the subsequent implosion of the remaining crater. Water then filled the crater, creating the crater lake. The water in a crater lake has no outlet, so there is no drainage of the water, making it a good indicator of water table levels. There was an overlook where we had a nice view of Kerid Crater, with red hills surrounding the crater and green lake water at the bottom of the crater - very impressive.

From there, we continued our drive, now heading back to Reykjavik. Along the way we saw many greenhouses that use geothermal waters for heating. This is the heart of horticultural in Iceland. We were told that 90% of homes in Iceland are heated with geothermal power. Power is very cheap here. We passed by the largest power station in the world. One more word about Iceland volcanoes - Iceland's most famous and active volcano is Hekla. Everyone here is afraid of Hekla. It has erupted many times. It generally erupts every ten years. The last eruption was in 2000, so it is overdue. The name Hekla means "Hooded One" and Hekla is so named because often its top is shrouded in fog or mist.