Hveragerdi
Hveragerdi
Hveragerði lies east of the main volcanic and eruptive zone of Iceland. The Mid-Atlantic ridge, which divides the American tectonic plate from the European plate, stretches up through the island in a northeasterly direction.
The surrounding area is part of the Hengill central volcano, and is geothermally active and experiences frequent earthquakes.
The Hveragerði geothermal area is in the center of the scenic town of Hveragerði, therefore it is one of the few populated sites in the world located on a geothermal area.
The town, Hveragerði, gets its name from old descriptions, where its hot springs, hverir, were said to form a pattern like a fence, gerði. It can be translated as a "hot garden", and therefore the town is famous for its greenhouses, which are heated by hot water from volcanic hot springs.
