Evidence on Mars
Similar features there were used as evidence of past water.
Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hansueli Krapf — CC BY-SA 3.0 · NOTE: This image is a panorama consisting of multiple frames that were merged or stitched in Panorama Studio. As a result, this image necessarily underwent some form of digital manipulation. These man — CC BY-SA 3.0
A group of circular craters on the shore of Lake Mývatn in northern Iceland — pseudocraters, from which lava never erupted. The explanation is what makes them interesting. When lava flowed over wet ground or marsh, the trapped water beneath boiled and its steam exploded upward through the molten layer, digging a crater that looks exactly like a volcanic one but has no connection to any magma source below. The result is terrain that appears volcanic and technically is not. The formation is globally rare and scientifically studied, and similar features found on the surface of Mars have been used as evidence that water once existed there. Short walking paths circle the craters and climb their rims, and the view from above shows the circular pattern clearly. Practical points: entry is free and the paths are marked and easy. The whole Mývatn area deserves a day: lava fields, hot springs and bathing caves. A seasonal warning: dense midge swarms in summer — the lake's own name means midge lake.
Similar features there were used as evidence of past water.
No connection to magma below — the shape deceives.
Lava fields, hot springs and bathing caves — worth a full day.
Lake Mývatn, north Iceland
Very bad at the height of summer around the lake, particularly on still days with no wind. Most of these midges do not bite, but they get into eyes, nose and mouth in enormous numbers. A head net is cheap, sold locally and solves the problem completely — buy one before arriving and do not rely on repellent alone.
The Dimmuborgir lava field with its strange formations, the huge Hverfjall crater which can be climbed, the Námafjall geothermal area with its mud pots, and the Mývatn Nature Baths, the quieter and cheaper alternative to the Blue Lagoon. The area makes a comfortable full day.
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