This is Urriðakotshellir lava tube, part of the Maríuhellar lava cave site which also includes Vífilsstaðahellir and Draugahellir. Urriðakotshellir has a large grassy opening connecting its two sections. This is a scan of the section to the right when observing from the parking area just off the Elliðavatnsvegur and Heiðmerkurvegur road junction 12km due south of Reykjavík in the Heiðmörk Nature Reserve. Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/okbQpb1nkTfbCeES8
The Búrfellshraun lava field which contains these caves was formed 8,000 years ago from Búrfell, situated in the Reykjanesfólkvangur Nature Reserve and geopark. The mountain is a basalt tuya; a type of volcano formed when lava erupts through an ice cap or a glacier. It forms part of the Krýsuvík volcanic system in southwest Iceland on the Reykjanes peninsula.
The method of obtaining this scan included using an iPhone 12 LIDAR equipped camera through the Scaniverse – 3D Scanner mobile application.
© Ciara McKnight, 2022
CC AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
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