description Þorsteinshellir Overview
Þorsteinshellir is a lava tube in Iceland's Búrfellshraun lava field. It is part of a basaltic volcanic landscape and is recognized for its underground lava formations and for its use as a shelter in the past. The cave formed in a lava flow whose outer surface cooled while molten material continued to move beneath it, leaving a passage within the solidified rock.
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What is Þorsteinshellir?
Þorsteinshellir is a lava tube in Iceland's Búrfellshraun lava field. It formed when the surface of a basaltic lava flow cooled while molten lava continued flowing below it.
Was Þorsteinshellir used by people?
The cave is associated with past use as a shelter, which gives it historical interest as well as geological value. Its underground basalt formations show the same lava-tube process found in other Icelandic volcanic fields.
How is Þorsteinshellir different from Iceland's famous ice caves?
Þorsteinshellir is a basalt lava tube, not a seasonal glacier cave carved into moving ice. Its shape comes from an old lava flow in Búrfellshraun rather than from meltwater inside a glacier.
Is Þorsteinshellir near Reykjavík?
Búrfellshraun is in the Reykjavík area of southwest Iceland, near Garðabær. The cave belongs to a volcanic landscape where lava tubes such as Þorsteinshellir and Selgjarhellir are known features.
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