Iceland Travel Journal 冰島旅行日記 17 - 2019.10.17 Blue Lake 藍湖

Day 4's Notes - Continued 繼續第四天的雜記

Laxa I Adaldal 拉薩河

Before heading to Blue Lake, we stopped at the Laxá í Aðaldal river. This river, often referred to as "The Queen of Icelandic Rivers" or simply "Big Laxá" (The Big Salmon River), is celebrated as Iceland's premier destination for salmon fishing. Despite its fame among anglers, our purpose was not fishing, but rather observing the ducks.

We spotted Goldeneyes swimming in the river; they are quite cute. These ducks were likely Barrow's Goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica), a distinctive sea duck found in Iceland. This bird is best known for its striking black-and-white plumage. A small, thriving population can be found particularly around Lake Mývatn, where they utilize lava crevices and nest boxes for nesting.

在前往藍湖之前，我們在拉薩河（Laxá í Aðaldal）停了一會兒。這條河常被稱為「冰島河流女王」或簡稱「大拉薩河」（大鮭魚河），是冰島首屈一指的鮭魚釣魚勝地。雖然它在釣魚者中享有盛名，但我們此行的目的並非釣魚，而是觀賞野鴨。

我們在河裡看到了幾隻金眼鴨在游泳，它們真是太可愛了。這些鴨子很可能是巴羅氏金眼鴨（Bucephala islandica），一種冰島特有的海鴨。這種鴨最顯眼的特徵是它醒目的黑白羽毛。在米湖附近，可以找到一小群數量可觀的巴羅氏金眼鴨，它們會利用熔岩縫隙和人工巢箱築巢。

Photo Date: 2019.10.17

Skútustaðagígar 假火山口

The Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters are a fascinating sight, often called rootless cones because, unlike regular volcanic craters, they have no internal connection to the magma chamber; they are just surface features.

They are not caused by a volcanic explosion itself, but are instead a geological byproduct of flowing lava. The formation process begins when super-hot lava flows over cool, wet grounds, pressurizing the earth. Steam becomes trapped beneath the lava's heavy weight, generating extreme pressure. When this pressure builds up too much, a steam explosion erupts, creating the depressions that form these mesmerizing pseudocraters.

The Skútustaðagígar were formed about 2,300 years ago during the eruption of Lúdentaborgir and Þrengslaborgir. Today, surrounded by the remaining wetlands of the Lake Mývatn area, the cones provide a quaint and excellent area for birdwatching.

I saw other people's aerial photos, which made it much easier to appreciate these unique landscapes. The photos we took from the ground simply couldn't capture their special characteristics.

Skútustaðagígar 假火山口是一個吸引人的景象，通常被稱為無根錐，因為它們與普通的火山口不同，它們沒有內部連接到岩漿房；它們只是地表的特徵。

它們並非是由火山爆發本身所致，而是熔岩流動的地質副產品。它形成過程乃始於熾熱的熔岩流過冰冷潮濕的地面，對地表施加壓力。蒸氣被困在熔岩的重壓之下，產生極高的壓力。當壓力積聚過多時，蒸氣就會爆發，形成這些令人嘆為觀止的假火山口。

Skútustaðagígar火山錐形成於大約 2300 年前 Lúdentaborgir 火山和 Þrengslaborgir 火山爆發期間。如今，這些火山錐被米湖地區殘存的濕地環繞，為觀鳥者提供了一個古樸而絕佳的場所。

我看了別人的空拍照片，讓我更容易欣賞這些獨特的景觀。我們從地面拍攝的照片，實在無法捕捉到它們的獨特之處。

Blue Lake 藍湖

Blue Lake, near Reykjahlíð in Iceland, is known for its pristine waters and beautiful scenery, nestled among geothermal areas and volcanic landscapes. Seeing the lake's vibrant blue color, set against the steaming mist drifting over the water, created a panoramic vista that made me feel utterly transported to another world.

冰島雷克雅赫利德 (Reykjahlíð) 附近的藍湖以其清澈的湖水和美麗的景色而聞名，坐落在地熱區和火山地形之間。湖水呈現出鮮豔的藍色，與水面上飄蕩的蒸氣薄霧交相輝映，構成了一幅全景圖，讓我有如置身於世外桃源。

Mývatn Earth Lagoon 米湖地熱溫泉浴場

The Mývatn Earth Lagoon (renamed in 2025, formerly known as the Mývatn Nature Baths, which opened on June 30, 2004) is located in Jardbadshólar, about $4$ km from the village of Reykjahlíð. This lagoon is a man-made construction, featuring a bottom covered by sand and gravel. It is a set of geothermally heated pools and steam baths in the Lake Mývatn area, where the outdoor pools are filled with naturally heated, milky blue, mineral-rich water from hot springs.

米湖地熱溫泉浴場（2025 年更名，原名米湖自然浴場，於 2004 年 6 月 30 日開放）位於 Jardbadshólar，距離雷克雅赫利茲村約 4 公里。這座人工建造的溫泉浴場底部覆蓋著沙礫。它位於米湖地區，由一系列地熱加熱的泳池和蒸汽浴組成，室外泳池注滿了來自天然溫泉的富含礦物質的乳藍色溫泉水。