Ultima Thule; or, A Summer in Iceland. vol. 1/2

by Sir Richard Francis Burton

“Some drill and bore
The solid earth, and from the strata there,
Extract a register, by which we learn
That He who made it, and revealed (!) its date
To Moses, was mistaken in its age.”[60]

The following is a list of the principal orographic features, Jökulls,[61] Fells (mountains), volcanoes, masses of Palagonite, snow-peaks, and true glaciers, which are rare. Gunnlaugsson’s astronomical positions are given in Danish feet, and the former are reduced to the meridian of Greenwich by assuming Copenhagen to lie east 12° 34´ (Rafn, 12° 34´·7). The Danish foot is calculated at 12·356 inches English, or about 67:69.

The north-eastern quarter numbers fifteen points, ranging from 1000 to 3000 Danish feet, and the following ten exceed the latter:

	Dan. feet=	Eng. feet.	N. lat.		W. long. (C.)=	Greenwich.
Lambafell,	3459	3562	64° 58´ 28´´		26° 39´ 19´´	14° 5´
Herðubreið,	5290	5447	65° 10´ 39´´		28° 58´ 55´´	16° 25´
Gagnheiðarhnúkr,	3009	3098	65° 13´ 35´´		26° 53´ 42´´	14° 20´
Beinageitarfjall,	3517	3621	65° 27´ 37´´		26° 42´ 2´´	14° 8´
Dyrfjöll,	3606	3713	65° 31´ 20´´		26° 35´ 17´´	14° 1´
Smjörfjall,	3859	3973	65° 36´ 40´´		27° 24´ 6´´	14° 50´
Heljarfjall,	3991	4109	65° 48´ 26´´		31° 31´ 56´´	18° 58´
Rimar,	4020	4139	65° 52´ 45´´		31° 7´ 33´´	18° 33´
Ólafsfjarðarfjall,	3272	3369	65° 58´ 34´´		31° 31´ 8´´	18° 57´
Kaldbakr,	3699	3810	66° 0´ 24´´		30° 48´ 58´´	18° 15´

In the south-eastern quarter, nine heights range from 1000 to 3000 Danish feet, and eleven rise higher, viz.:

	Dan. feet=	Eng. feet.	N. lat.		W. long. (C.)=	Greenwich.
Stórhöfði,	4509	4643	63° 55´ 34´´		29° 17´ 7´´	16° 43´
Staðarfjall,	3782	3894	63° 57´ 55´´		29° 12´ 51´´	16° 39´
Öræfajökull, [62]	6241	6426	64° 0´ 48´´		20° 20´ 16´´	16° 46´
Thverártindsegg,	3668	3776	64° 11´ 14´´		28° 46´ 12´´	16° 12´
Birnudalstindr,	4300	4428	64° 14´ 54´´		28° 34´ 1´´	16° 0´
Bakkatindr,	3316	3414	64° 20´ 50´´		28° 50´ 22´´	15° 47´
Afrèttartindr,	3842	3956	64° 31´ 4´´		27° 33´ 54´´	15° 0´
Búlandstindr,	3388	3488	64° 41´ 54´´		27° 3´ 4´´	14° 31´
Snæfell,[63]	5808	5964	64° 48´ 1´´		28° 11´ 43´´	15° 38´
Kistufell,	3499	3602	64° 51´ 18´´		27° 11´ 16´´	14° 47´
Lambafell,	3459	3561	64° 58´ 28´´		26° 39´ 19´´	14° 5´

In the north-eastern quarter, twenty points range from 1000 to 3000 Danish feet, and only three rise higher, viz.:

	Dan. feet=	Eng. feet.	N. lat.		W. long. (C.)=	Greenwich.
Illviðrahnúkr,	3476	3579	66° 8´ 14´´		31° 37´ 4´´	19° 4´
Hvammsfell,	3785	3897	65° 39´ 18´´		31° 48´ 21´´	19° 14´
Mælifellshnúkr,	3476	3579	65° 23´ 30´´		31° 59´ 10´´	19° 25´

In the south-western quarter, thirteen points range from 1000 to 3000 Danish feet, and again only three rise higher, viz.: