Miklavatn (Fljót)

Miklavatn
LocationFljót, Skagafjörður, Iceland
Coordinates66°4′25″N 19°4′29″W / 66.07361°N 19.07472°W / 66.07361; -19.07472
TypeLake
EtymologyIcelandic for "big lake"
Surface area7.4 km2 (2.9 sq mi)
Max. depth22 m (72 ft)[1]
Location
Map

Miklavatn is a lake in Fljót in Skagafjörður, Iceland. It is the second biggest lake in the region at 7.4 square kilometers.[2] The Hraunamöl isthmus separates it from the sea, but the runoff from the lake flows through the Hraunaós estuary.[3] The lake was originally a fjord but as the isthmus formed, it closed the fjord off, turning it into a lake.[4]

The lake offers a lot of trout fishing. Because water from the ocean often flows into the lake, it is saltier at the bottom, so various salt-water fish are also caught there. The Fljótaá river flows into Miklavatn from Stífluvatn lake, and some smaller rivers flow into the lake as well.[3]

In the early 20th century, there was some discussion around building a navigable canal through Hraunamöl and establishing an ocean liner harbor in Miklavatn, but these plans fell through. In the 1940s, sea planes that went searching for herring had a summer base in Miklavatn.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Davíðsson, Guðmundur (1966). "Fljót í Skagafjarðarsýslu" [Fljót in Skagafjörður County]. Skagafirðingabók 1 [Skagafjörður Book 1] (in Icelandic). Reykjavík: Ársit Sögufélags Skagafirðinga. p. 125.
  2. ^ "Miklavatn í Fljótum | Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands" [Miklavatn in Fljót]. www.ni.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  3. ^ a b "Miklavatn - NAT ferðavísir". nat.is (in Icelandic). 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  4. ^ Davíðsson, Guðmundur (1966). "Fljót í Skagafjarðarsýslu" [Fljót in Skagafjörður County]. Skagafirðingabók 1 [Skagafjörður Book 1] (in Icelandic). Reykjavík: Ársit Sögufélags Skagafirðinga. p. 128.