Herðubreið

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Herðubreið

Elevation 1,682 metres (5,518 feet)
Location Eastern Iceland
Coordinates 65°10′N, 16°20′W
Type Tuya
Age of rock Pleistocene
Last eruption Pleistocene

Herðubreið is a tuya in the north-east of Iceland at 65°10′44.06″N, 16°20′50.36″W. It is situated in the Highlands of Iceland in the midst of the desert Óðáðahraun and not far from Askja, another famous volcano. The desert is a very big lava field originating from eruptions of the volcano Trölladyngja. Herðubreið originally sat beneath Vatnajökull, which was much larger during the last ice age.

The mountain has very steep and unstable sides. So it was only in 1908 that hikers climbed for the first time up to its top.

In front of the mountain lies the oasis Herðubreiðarlindir with a camp ground and famous hiking trails. In former times, outcasts lived there who had been excluded from Icelandic society because of crimes they had committed.

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Coordinates: 65°11′N, 16°21′W