Rit (Vísindafélag Íslendinga) - 01.07.1962, Page 17

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an extensive wiping out of the Young Plateau Basalt group.
Tliere is therefore little hope of tracing this group continu-
ously farther west or south. The area is also very difficult
for travel. The Young Basalt group is probably extensive in
the south, at the head of Bárðardalur (Krókdalur), Timbur-
valladalur, Hjaltadalur, and Bleiksmýrardalur, hut this has
not been studied closer.
It should be added that the remnant of a much younger
lava seems to occur within Fnjóskadalur, near the farm Mel-
ar. It is a 20 m thick fresh hasalt consisting of irregular fine
columns. Its base is close to 220 m, i.e. the level of Flateyjar-
dalsheiði, and its surface forms a prominent terrace. Former-
ly, I have assumed (Einarsson 1959b, terrace A in Fig. 15)
that this was an erosional rock terrace, while I now think
there is a separate lava on the actual rock terrace, although
the outcrop is not so extensive as might be wished, nor can
the lower contact of the lava be seen.
On the east side of the Eyjafjörður valley I have not been
able to identify the Young Basalts, in spite of considerable
search. Nor have I found them at the head of this valley.
Only farther west they are met with again.
Near Akureyri we have the mountain Kerling (1538 m)
which has a 200—250 m thick cover of horizontal fresh ba-
salts lying discordantly on the lower dipping basalts, Fig. 6.
In between is a layer with fossil wood, covered by a thick layer
of yellow rhyolitic explosive material. This yellow layer
covers the fossil wood layer at 1050 m altitude on the north
side of Kerling and is here 200—250 m thick. It has the same
thickness in Glerárdalshnjúkur and is seen all around the
upper part of Glerárdalur. On the south side of Kerling the
layer has its lower boundary at 1010 m and the upper one
at 1090 m altitude.
To the south of Kerling, separated from it by the Finna-
staðadalur, is a 1300—1400 m high flattopped spur where one
should expect to find the continuation of the rhyolite layer.
But it is not found here nor in the similar spurs farther south.
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