earth science

Mýrdalssandur

Mýrdalssandur is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mýrdalssandur rather than just read about it. In short: Mýrdalssandur (Icelandic: [ˈmirˌtalsˌsantʏr̥]) is an outwash plain on the south coast of Iceland. Location and description The outwash plain is located between the rivers of Kúðafljót in the east and Múlakvísl in the west.

Key takeaways

Mýrdalssandur belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mýrdalssandur to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mýrdalssandur from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mýrdalssandur (Icelandic: [ˈmirˌtalsˌsantʏr̥]) is an outwash plain on the south coast of Iceland.

Location and description The outwash plain is located between the rivers of Kúðafljót in the east and Múlakvísl in the west. Both rivers carry water from the Mýrdalsjökull glacier to the sea. Mýrdalssandur has a 35 km (22 mi)-long coast line, including Kötlutangi [ˈkʰœhtlʏˌtʰauɲcɪ], the southernmost point of the island of Iceland. The Ring Road crosses this flat surface on 25 km (16 mi).

Development The outwash plain was built by the numerous jökulhlaups of the Mýrdalsjökull. The last large jökulhlaup was due to an explosive eruption of the Katla volcano under the glacier in 1918, and the water volume at the peak of the jökulhlaup was estimated to be around 200,000 - 300,000 m³/s.

History of settlements South of the road rises Hjörleifshöfði to a height of 231 m (758 ft). The mountain is named after Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson. He was the first settler to come to Iceland with Ingólfr Arnarson. In the Middle Ages there was a fishing lake called Kerlingarfjörður [ˈcʰɛ(r)tliŋkarˌfjœrðʏr̥] at the mouth of the Múlakvísl. Probably it was not a fjord, but rather an extension of a river mouth. The name (isl. Kerling = the old woman) was created according to the land register book, after an old woman had fallen overboard from one of the settler ships and was carried away by the water. Around the year 1000 many farms seem to have found themselves on the Mýrdalssandur. Sources mention four parishes in Álftaver [ˈaul̥taˌvɛːr̥]. These farms were, however, were mostly abandoned up to the 15th century, as a result of volcanic eruptions of the Katla, subsequent glacier runs and ashfall. At the beginning of the 21st century, some farms still exist in Álftaver.

Þykkvabær Monastery In 1168 a monks' monastery of the Augustinians was founded in the Þykkvabær í Veri [ˈθɪhkvaˌpaiːr iː ˈvɛːrɪ] on the Mýrdalssandur. The name was then changed to Þykkvabæjarklaustur [ˈθɪhkvaˌpaiːjarˌkʰlœystʏr̥] and the first abbot there was Saint Thorlak. He was later bishop in Skálholt and some of his successors were either bishops there or in Hólar. In 1550, with the Reformation, the King of Denmark took over the monastery with all its possessions. The monastery was dissolved, but it still existed for a long time as a rich farm until it was finally abandoned in 1945.

In popular culture The area was used as a filming location for the Star Wars spinoff film Rogue One, representing the planet Lah'mu in the opening scenes of the film.

See also List of extreme points of Iceland Geography of Iceland List of volcanoes in Iceland

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mýrdalssandur

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mýrdalssandur claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mýrdalssandur before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mýrdalssandur ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mýrdalssandur

In research: Mýrdalssandur appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mýrdalssandur in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mýrdalssandur is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Katla (volcano), Outwash plains, Southern Region (Iceland), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mýrdalssandur outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mýrdalssandur in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mýrdalssandur means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mýrdalssandur out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mýrdalssandur in simple terms?

Mýrdalssandur (Icelandic: [ˈmirˌtalsˌsantʏr̥]) is an outwash plain on the south coast of Iceland. Location and description The outwash plain is located between the rivers of Kúðafljót in the east and Múlakvísl in the west.

Why does Mýrdalssandur matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mýrdalssandur?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mýrdalssandur.