Kerio Crater: A Breathtaking Volcanic Crater Lake in Iceland
Tauheed Ahmad Nawaz
Kerio Crater in Iceland
Kerio Crater is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grimsnes area of South Iceland. It is also known as Kerith or Kerid, a popular tourist attraction due to the scenic Golden Circle route. There is several crater lakes in Iceland’s Western Volcanic Zone, which includes the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Langjökull Glacier. Kerio Crater is one of several crater lakes in the area, known as Iceland’s Western Volcanic Zone.
Which includes the Reykjanes peninsula and was created as the land moved over a localized hot spot. But it is the one that has the most visually recognizable caldera still intact. Kerio Crater is a 55-meter-deep explosion crater that harbors a small green lake in the Grímsnes region. The crater is filled with water, and the steep, circular slopes resemble an ancient amphitheater.
The crater is nearly 3000 years old, often displaying intense colors. The caldera is well composed of red and black volcanic rock. The caldera is approximately 180 feet deep, 560 feet wide, and 890 feet across. Kerið’s caldera is one of the three most recognizable volcanic craters. However, the other two surrounding volcanoes are Seyðishólar and Kerhóll half the age of this.
While most of the crater is steep-walled with little vegetation,. One wall is sloped more gently, blanketed with deep moss, and can be descended fairly easily. The fairly shallow lake is approximately seven to ten meters deep, but it mainly depends on rainfall and other factors.
However, the other mineral from the soil is an opaque and strikingly vivid aquamarine. Researchers originally thought that Kerið was formed by a massive volcanic explosion, though no evidence was found to prove such an explosion in Kerið. Therefore, currently, it is believed that Kerio Crater was a cone volcano that erupted and emptied its magma reserve.
Hence, once the magma was depleted, the weight of the cone collapsed into an empty magma chamber. So, the existing pool of water at the bottom of the crater is at the same level as the water table and is not caused by rainfall. The stunning beauty of Kerid Crater Lake proves that southern Iceland is not all about ice and fire.
Kerio Crater is one of the most amazing photography landscapes protected from weathering. The jagged rocks and fissures of the walls stand in sharp contrast to the gently rolling landscape nearby. The best way to see the Kerid crater is to travel along a popular tourist route called the Golden Circle.
This is a 300-kilometer loop that covers the most amazing natural sites in southern Iceland. Moreover, fish probably don’t live there, but they’re zooplankton, and you can stand at the top of the crater and look down at the eerie calm of the lake below.
The sides of the crater are really steep but a few daring tourists always decide to climb down to the depths. Well, if you climb down into the crater, then please be careful. Because it was moderately difficult to navigate the way to the bottom. Thus, once you get to the bottom, you can stand by the lake and observe how the sides of the crater create a cocoon for sound.
The wind and nearby roads are silenced by the natural walls of the crater. The bottom of the crater feels peaceful with the quiet and static water. It was definitely a meditative location. But the really difficult part is getting back up the 55 meters to the top again. Kerid Crater is a quirky little stop-off and it’s great because it’s not busy like the other attractions on the Golden Circle.
Kerio Crater is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grimsnes area in South Iceland. It is also known as Kerith or Kerid, a popular tourist attraction due to the scenic Golden Circle route.
