earth science

Reykjanes

Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes rather than just read about it. In short: Reykjanes (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈreiːcaˌnɛːs]) is a small headland on the south-western end of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, giving the main peninsula its name. Volcanic action is responsible for forming the entire peninsula.

Key takeaways

Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Reykjanes from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Reykjanes (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈreiːcaˌnɛːs]) is a small headland on the south-western end of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, giving the main peninsula its name. Volcanic action is responsible for forming the entire peninsula. The nearest town is Keflavik. The name, Reykjanes, translates to "smoking point,” reykja 'smoking', and nes 'point'. It is named this due to the continuing volcanic activity of the Reykjanes volcanic belt; there are also many other uses of this name in Iceland, e.g. the Reykjanes Peninsula or Reykjanes in Ísafjarðardjúp.

Geography The region is about nine kilometres (5+1⁄2 miles) to the south of Iceland's international airport. It is about 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi) and includes the Reykjanes volcanic system that extends in a linear fashion up its centre continuing to the north-east as the hill of Sýrfell at 93 m (305 ft) high. Other volcanic systems of the Reykjanes volcanic belt could affect the Reykjanes region and have erupted as recently as April 2025. Other hills associated with the system are Skálafell (Grindavíkurbær) with a height of 76 m (249 ft) in the south-west near the sea and Bæjarfell at 69 m (226 ft) high to its north. Valahnúkamöl is its south western cliff coast leading to Reykjanestá, the most south-western cape of the area.

Island Eldey From the cliffs and beach at Reykjanestá, the island of Eldey can be seen. The distance to Reykjanestá is 14 km (8.7 mi), the height of the rocky island 77 m (253 ft). It is known to be especially popular with morus bassanus as a breeding place in the North Atlantic. On the other hand, the Eldey Volcanic System, which is for the most part submarine, is today mostly seen as independent from Reykjanes Volcanic System. It is part of Reykjanes Ridge.

Lighthouse Reykjanesviti

In 1878, the first Icelandic lighthouse was erected near Valahnúkur. It had become necessary as the most used shipping lane next to Iceland passed by this point and the sea can be dangerous here. The 14 km (8.7 mi) broad strait between the peninsula and the island of Eldey is often used by ships and at the same time heavy currents accompany the tides in both directions so that the area had a bad reputation which many shipwrecks confirm. In 1887, the hill where it stood, was eroded by earthquake action, so that the old lighthouse had to be taken down. The next lighthouse could not be constructed before 1908 and was then built up on the hill of Vatnafell [ˈvahtnaˌfɛtl̥] at about 1 km (0.6 mi) from the coast line where it stands till today in 73 m (240 ft) msl. The Reykjanesviti lighthouse is on Bæjarfell and is fairly frequently visited by tourists. The geothermal power station is inland from the lighthouse to its north-east, it was built in 2006 and produces 100 MW.

Filming location Films which were produced in this landscape include Prince of Darkness (Myrkrahöfðinginn) (a 2000 film by the Icelandic director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, filmed near the lighthouse) and Flags of Our Fathers (a 2006 film by Clint Eastwood filmed about 10 km (6.2 mi) away in and around the bays Litla-Sandvík [ˈlɪhtla-ˌsantˌviːk] and Stóra-Sandvík [ˈstouːra- santˌviːk]).

Geology

The basaltic low relief lava shields of the Reykjanes volcanic system are typically more than 4500 years old, but towards the south there are more recent eruptive fissures, with crater rows, tindars and hyaloclastite hills as well as parts of tuff cones near the south-west shoreline. The offshore volcanoes have produced 15 different tephra layers in the region. The volcano erupted for a 30 odd year period ending in 1240 CE. In 1226 CE an explosive eruption off Reykjanes produced about 0.1 km3 (0.024 cu mi) of tephra with deposits up to 100 km (60 mi) away. It also has lava dated to 2150 years ago and 3200 years ago. The Reykjanes volcano has been classified historically with the active as of 2024 Eldvörp–Svartsengi volcano to its south-east as its rift system intersects this to the east in the Reykjanes volcanic belt and the two volcanic systems are very similar, even though they have separate geothermal systems, and lava composition. Recent studies tend to classify the Reykjanes volcanic system as a separate fissure volcano of the Reykjanes volcano belt. This volcanic system marks the transition from the mainly extensional structure of the underwater Reykjanes Ridge of the Atlantic mid-oceanic ridge to a trans-tensional plate boundary in the Reykjanes Peninsula. The 5–6 km (3–4 mi) wide Reykjanes volcanic system is in a rift zone, which extends 45 km (28 mi), including at least 9 km (5.6 mi) out to sea towards the Reykjanes Ridge. Volcanic rock production has kept pace with rift extension and subsidence with at least ten eruptions in the 14,500 years since the area became ice free after the end of the last ice age. Within the volcanic system there are active NE–SW dip-slip faults. There are two main fissure swarm zones being in the north (Stampar) and south (Sýrfell). They are separated by about 2 km (1.2 mi), and their western parts have been active in the last three eruptive periods of the Reykjanes area. The volcanic rocks are basalts, with picrite, or tholeiite characteristics. While the active volcanism on the peninsula has been a major source for the geothermal activity in the area, there is evidence that the volcanism can fuel geothermal systems up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) away, as far as Hvalfjörður. On the Reykjanes Peninsula itself, the system has had its geothermal potential exploited, producing up to 176 MW of power. Sometimes also the Stampar [ˈstam̥par̥] crater rows from eruptions during the 13th century within the Reykjanes Volcanic System are counted in as well as the high temperature area around the mud resp. hot water geysers of Gunnuhver [ˈkʏnːʏˌkʰvɛːr̥]. Most of the Reykjanes area is at risk of disruption from future eruptions and susceptibility maps have been published.

Wildlife Northern fulmar, European herring gull and Common raven are present along the south, east and part of the north coast of Reykjanes to the town of Vogar. Black-legged kittiwake is mostly bound to cliffs along the coastline of Reykjanestangi.

See also Volcanism of Iceland List of volcanic eruptions in Iceland List of volcanoes in Iceland

References

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Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Reykjanes

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes

In research: Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes 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: Reykjanes is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Black sand beaches, Headlands of Iceland, Reykjanes Volcanic Belt, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Reykjanes in simple terms?

Why does Reykjanes 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 Reykjanes?

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 Reykjanes.