List of caves in Iceland

A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, ^{[1] [2]} specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word cave can also refer to much smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos, though strictly speaking a cave is exogene, meaning it is deeper than its opening is wide, ^[3] and a rock shelter is endogene. ^[4]

List of caves in Iceland

Name	Location	Picture	Notes
Búri	southwestern Iceland		The Búri cave is a lava tube located in southwestern Iceland and was discovered in 1992, by the volcanologist Guðmundur Þorsteinsson. The cave was closed in 2014 by the owners of the land in cooperation with the Icelandic Speleological Society. [5] The cave is located near Þorlákshöfn on the Reykjanesskagi peninsula, around 28 miles southeast of Reykjavík.
Grjótagjá	near lake Mývatn		Grjótagjá is a small lava cave near lake Mývatn in Iceland. It has a thermal spring inside. In early 18th century the outlaw Jón Markússon lived there and used the cave for bathing. [6] Until the 1970s Grjótagjá was a popular bathing site. But during the eruptions from 1975 to 1984 the temperature of the water rose to more than 50 °C (122 °F), though the temperature is slowly decreasing and has fallen below 50 °C again. The nearby lava cave of Stóragjá is being used as an alternative bathing site.
Hellnahellir	South Iceland		Hellnahellir is the largest man-made or artificial cave in Iceland. It is located in Landsveit, South Iceland. The cave is almost 50 metres (160 ft) long and the walls are covered with engravings. Its age is unknown but it is most probably from 12th or 13th century. Hellar in Landsveit is a farm in the southern part of Iceland, approximately one and a half hours drive from Reykjavík. To those who in one way or another root from there, this place is one of great beauty, intriguing family history, happy memories and the marvellous adventures of childhood. To others Hellar is mostly known as the place where you find Hellnahellir, Iceland's biggest manmade cave.
Landmannahellir	Suðurland		Landmannahellir is a small cave at the foot of the Hellisfjall mountain middle of Suðurland (South Iceland) in the influence area of the volcano Hekla. [7] Landmannahellir is 14 metres long, 8 m wide and has a 4 m ceiling. It used to be a shelter for farmers with their sheep. Today it serves tourism. A few huts were built near the cave. [8]
Raufarhólshellir	Reykjavík		Raufarhólshellir is the fourth-longest lava tube in Iceland. The cave's proximity to Reykjavík made it popular with visitors, who caused damage to the cave. In late 2016 the cave was closed to the public to clear accumulated garbage and install lighting and a walkway to part of the cave. The cave reopened for guided tours the following year.
Surtshellir	western Iceland		Surtshellir is a lava cave located in western Iceland, around 60 km from the settlement of Borgarnes. Approximately a mile in length, it is the longest such cave in the country. It was the first known lava tube in the world, at least by modern speleologists, and remained the longest known lava tube until the end of the 19th century. [9] While mentioned in the medieval historical-geographical work Landnámabók , Eggert Ólafsson was the first to give a thorough documentation of the cave in his 1750 travels of the region. [10] It is named after the fire giant Surtr, a prominent figure in Norse mythology, who is prophesied to one day engulf the world in the fire of his flaming sword. [11] [12]
The Caves of Ægissíða	Hella		The Caves of Hella (also known as the Caves of Ægissíða) are a series of ancient man-made sandstone caves located at the farm Ægissíða on the bank of the river Ytri-Rangá, just across from the village Hella, in the southern part of Iceland. Through the past centuries the caves have been used by Icelandic farmers as sheep sheds, barns and, food storage. [13] Nobody knows for certain who made them and for what purpose. However, throughout the centuries the people of Ægissíða have said the caves were built before the Viking settlement. Most likely by Celtic monks.
Víðgelmir	western Iceland		Víðgelmir is a lava tube situated in the Hallmundarhraun lava field (formed around 900 AD) in west Iceland, around 2 km southeast of Fljótstunga [14] farm in Hvítársíða, Borgarfjörður. The roof of the lava tube has collapsed, creating two large openings near its north end which are the only known entrances. Víðgelmir is 1585 m long and the largest part of the cave passage is 15.8 m high and 16.5 m wide, making it by far the largest of its kind in Iceland.

References

1. Whitney, W. D. (1889). "Cave, n.1." def. 1. The Century dictionary: An encyclopedic lexicon of the English language (Vol. 1, p. 871). New York: The Century Co.
2. "Cave" Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009
3. Moratto, Michael J. (2014). California Archaeology. Academic Press. p. 304. ISBN   9781483277356.
4. Lowe, J. John; Walker, Michael J. C. (2014). Reconstructing Quaternary Environments. Routledge. pp. 141–42. ISBN   9781317753711.
5. "Búri Cave Closed". visir.is. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
6. Paijkull, Carl Wilhelm. A Summer in Iceland. Chapman and Hall. pp. 281–2.
7. "Landmannahellir a tourist service and accommodation center in the highlands of Iceland" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-10.
8. "LANDMANNAHELLIR" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-10.
9. "Surtshellir-Stefánshellir System". Caves of Iceland. Showcaves. Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
10. Browne, George Forrest (1865). Ice-caves of France and Switzerland. Longmans, Green and co. pp.  244–6.
11. Campbell, Thomas; Samuel Carter Hall (1858). New Monthly Magazine . p. 190.
12. Leith, Disney (2008). Iceland. BiblioBazaar, LLC. pp. 59–62. ISBN   0-554-72053-1.
13. Hjartarson, Guðmundsson, Gísladóttir, Árni, Guðmundur, Hallgerður (1991). Manngerðir Hellar á Íslandi. Reykjavík: Menningarsjóður Reykjavíkur. pp. 117–144. ISBN   9979-822-04X.
14. "Víðgelmir Cave". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2007-09-11.