Miklavatn (Fljót)
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| Miklavatn | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Fljót, Skagafjörður, Iceland |
| Coordinates | 66°4′25″N 19°4′29″W / 66.07361°N 19.07472°W |
| Type | Lake |
| Etymology | Icelandic for "big lake" |
| Surface area | 7.4 km2 (2.9 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 22 m (72 ft)[1] |
| Location | |
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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]