Gunnuhver Volcano, Volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
Gunnuhver is a geothermal area on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, known for its boiling mud pools and loud steam vents rising from cracks in the ground. The soil is dark and cracked, stained in shades of yellow, orange and gray by minerals, and thick clouds of steam drift across the landscape at all times.
The site has been geothermally active for centuries, but the mud pools and steam vents became noticeably more active in 2006 when the surrounding area began drawing energy from the geothermal reservoir beneath it. The ground sits directly above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian plates are slowly pulling apart, which is why volcanic activity in this part of Iceland has never stopped.
Gunnuhver takes its name from a woman called Gunna, whose restless spirit was said to haunt the area for a long time. According to the story, a priest eventually tricked her into the boiling spring, where she disappeared into the steam.
The paths around the mud pools and steam vents are clearly marked and fitted with raised wooden walkways that allow visitors to get close safely. It is important to stay on these marked routes, as the ground outside them can be extremely hot and unstable underfoot.
The largest mud pool in Iceland is found here, measuring around 20 meters across and boiling without pause. It produces such loud hissing and churning sounds that you can hear it before you even see it.
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