Skjálfandi, geologically more a bay than a fjord, is located in the North of Iceland. The word Skjálfandi literally translates to "trembling" which might refer to earthquakes which do occur quite frequently. Though most of them cannot really be noticed; they are only registered by seismographs.
The bay, originally created by glacial activity, has two major streams flowing into it: Skjálfandafljót, which is a glacier river and Laxá, which is a freshwater river. The river Laxá is famous for its salmon (lax in Icelandic translates to salmon) and part of the river is protected by the Ramsar Convention.
The only town in Skjálfandi Bay is Húsavík, facing the picturesque Víknafjöll and Kinnarfjöll , the mountain ranges on the other side of the bay, whose top is covered with snow year round. The highest point reaches around 1200 m.
The bay is famous for the abundance of different whale, dolphins and bird species, which can best be observed during the whale watching trips departing Húsavík.
The Swede Garðar Svavarsson, was the first Scandinavian to settle in Iceland around 860. He built a house in Skjálfandi, but spent only the following winter months there before leaving Iceland.
