Virkisvík

Virkisvík cove is a beautiful place with colourful sediments, basalt formations and a waterfall that cascades over precipitous cliffs into the sea. 

The oldest known rock formations, above the sea, in Iceland are in the West Fjords and Austurland. They are about 15-16 million years old, from the Miocene Tertiary era. 

The layers from that epoch are formed of lava flows with occasional sediment layers in between. Such layers, in thicker form, have long been research subjects, since often is found in them plant or animal remains which give much information about the climate when the layers formed. Two thick sediment layers can be found in Vopnafjörður. One is in Virkisvík and the other is in Bustarfell mountain.