Kleifarvatn the Draining Lake
Kleifarvatn the Draining Lake
The eerie volcanic landscape of Lake Kleifarvatn is somber and almost spooky.
The lake is sited on the mid-Atlantic rift and has been formed by subsidence. Curiously no rivers flow in or out of it!
A big earthquake in 2000 caused water to drain out of the lake's basin, just like a plug being taken out of a bath.
As the water drained, hot springs appeared along the lakeshore. The 8 sq km lake is now 97m deep and 20% smaller than before the earthquake.
Iceland’s best-known crime novel writer, Arnaldur Indridason, wrote a book about this mysterious ‘Draining Lake’. Kleifarvatn is usually inaccessible in winter.