186 8 



Nâmafjall No. 5 is from a little solfatara in Bjarnarflag. The soil was so 

 damp at this place, that it was possible to collect the gases by packing the humid 

 tufa around the funnel, so that the gases were forced through the tubes into the 

 collecting bottle. 



To the west of Bjarnarflag, — and named after it, — is Bjarnarflaijshraun, a 

 wild disorderly stretch of lava, ejected from a cleft of craters in Jaràhadshôlar, to 

 the south-west of Bjarnarflag, (Plate II, a). Here and there, among this lava, warm 

 damp gases exude from fissures and cavities. We made an examination of the 

 gases emitted, in two places, viz. Reykjahlid No. 1, which was taken just by the 

 crater cleft (354 m. above sea-level); and Reykjahlid No. 2, from the western part 

 of Bjarnarflagshraun (326 m. above sea-level). These emissions of gases are not 

 confined to Bjarnarflagshraun, although they are more in evidence there. Both in 

 the lava to the east of Nâmafjall, and in the older lava as far down as the farm 

 of Reykjahli(\ we found similar exhalations. 



A short distance south of Reykjahh'ö there is a large fissure in the lava, 

 Ståragjd; the water at the bottom of it was 29.4^ C. (Johnstrup took the temperature 

 of the water in the same rift ; he found it 30° C.) Since the temperature of the 

 water was, as far as we could perceive, quite uninfluenced by variations in the 

 temperature of the atmosphere, the relatively high temperature must doubtless be 

 attributed to terrestrial heat. 



We noticed hot exhalations at several places in the neighbourhood of Störagjä, 

 which also shows that an arm of the terrestrial heat at this place branches out as 

 far as Myvatn. 



Reykir in Skagafjörfliir. 



The hot springs near the farm Heykir in Skayafjördur are usually called Reyk- 

 jalaugar. We sjjent eight days at these springs, from the 13lh. to the 2()th. July 

 1906. On account of most unfavourable weather, our stay was longer than we 

 had arranged for. We pitched our tent on the eastern (right) bank of the river, 

 (Suartà), which runs past the farm. The site of our tent was 45 m. above sea-level ; 

 the farm itself is situated about 8 m. higher, on a hill of conglomerate and sand- 

 stone. On the same hill, to the south and south-east of the farm, are most of the 

 hot springs. These are a striking contrast to the dirty, fætid mud springs and 

 solfataras at Myvatn. The water is clear, and a luxuriant stretch of grass reaches 

 to the brink of the springs, whereas the soil by the springs at Myvatn is bare 

 and waste. We tested the gases from three of the most important springs in this 

 neighbourhood. The sample Reykir No. 1 is from Sundlaugarhuer, the most southerly 

 spring in the group. The warm water from the spring is used to impart to the 

 adjacent swimming-bath ("sundlaug") a tepid temperature. Reykir No. 2 is from 

 Hornahver, which is situated to the south of the church, and Reykir No. 3 from 

 Hœjarlaug; the latter is to the east of the church. These three springs can be 

 distinguished on the illustration (Plate 11,/)), by the vapour which rises, condensed 



