Brennisteinsfjöll

The mountain range is located at about 20 to 25 km (12 to 16 mi) from Reykjavík as well as Hafnarfjörður and to the south of the cities on the Reykjanes peninsula of Southwest Iceland.

[1] The existence of the fissure systems in Iceland is explained by its situation, located on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent plate boundary.

There is most probably also a magmatic hot spot under the island which stands for increased magma production.

[8] The volcanic systems of Reykjanes, Brennisteinsfjöll included, are stretched out in northeast-southwesterly direction over the rift on the peninsula.

[11] It is a possible cause of St. Mary Magdalene’s flood 1342 in Central Europe und following bad years with Black Death to 1350.

[12] The stratigraphy of the region includes hyaloclastite, older and younger lava flows.

[12] The place of the former mine can be found by hiking the old trail Selvogsgata [ˈsɛlˌvɔksˌkaːta] and the following the so-called Draugahlíðar [ˈtrœyːɣaˌl̥iːðar̥] between the lava and the slope.

The rootless cones of Rauðhólar near Reykjavík are also connected to a lava flow from this volcanic system.