The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1949, Page 8

6
EMIL HADAC
Geography.
In the most south-western part of Iceland lies the long outstretched
Peninsula of Reykjanes. It is orographically a part of the volcano-
fluvio-glacial formation of the interior of the Island, called usually
"'the pallagonite formation”. Itis advantageous for geo-
logical as well as for botanical reasons to deal with this district as
with a separate entity. The border of this district runs from the gulf
of Hafnarfjörður to the northern slope of Vífilsfell, through the valley
Hveradalir to the N and E slope of Skálafell, and from there to the
mouth of ölfusá. The district is characterised geologically by numerous
postglacial linear eruptions, botanically by dominating plant com-
munities of Rhacomitrium lanuginosum (Rhacomitrietum lanuginosi
islandicum, Empetreto-Rhacomitrietum lanuginosi), by Calluna-zssocia-
tion and Nardetum strictae islandicum.
The Reykjanes peninsula may be divided into a lowland and a
highland district. The 1 o w 1 a n d is situated in the W and N¥ of the
Peninsula and follows the north coast to the foot of Austurháls
mountain ridge (Húsafell, Selfjall); this we call “The NW-Lowland”.
This NW-Lowland is connected by three valleys with “The S-Lowland”.
The Southern Lowland follows the southern coast of the Peninsula ex-
tending to the north in a valley which we call Krísuvíkurdalur after a
former village named Krísuvík. The greatest lake of the area in-
vestigated, Kleifarvatn, is situated at the bottom of this valley. The
h i g h 1 a n d district covers the whole area of the eastern and central
part of the Peninsula, the mountain ridges Austurháls (Sveifluháls),
Vesturháls, the masif of Fagradalsfjall and some isolated hills as Haga-
fcll, Keilir etc.
The ridges Austurháls, Vesturháls, Fagradalsfjall and Fiskidals-
fjall are called “The Western Hill Group”; Skálafell, Lambafell, Meitill,
Lítla Reykjafell, Sandfell, Geitafell, Krossfjöll and Búrfell are called
“The Eastern Hill Group”. The rest we call “The Central Highland
of Rcykjanes”. The Central Highland is formed by the “Eastern
Plateau”, the “Western Plateau”, the Bláfjöllridge and the volcano
Heiðin-há. The Eastern Plateau is separated from the Western Plateau
by the Brennisteinsfjöll and by the slope of the cote 375 and 481.
The highest hill of the Peninsula is Hákollur, 685 m. The area
investigated is about 1600 km2 in size.
The coast is relatively only slightly indented; the greatest “nes” is
Rosmhvalaness im Faxafjörður.