Nature
![Langistígur a popular riding and hiking path in Almannagjá gorge.](/media/jsrnjfqc/nattura_thingvalla.jpg?width=370&height=315&rnd=132971707534500000)
![Almannagjá ( Everyman´s gorge) - seen to the north. Pathway in the middle of the gorge and visitors walking.](/media/iz2bzrtl/natttura_thingvalla_2.jpg?width=370&height=315&rnd=132971706640900000)
![Islet in Hallvik which is in the norheastern part of lake Þingvallavatn.](/media/0hfjnde3/fraedsla_cover.jpg?width=370&height=315&rnd=132971705831400000)
Langistígur
A path runs south towards the historical assembly site.
Almannagjá
Almannagjá on a cloudy day.
Hallvik
A green islet in lake Þingvallavatn.
In the last few decades, research has made it clear that Þingvellir is a natural wonder on a international scale, with the geologic history and the biosystem of Lake Þingvallavatn forming a unique entity, a magnificent showcase.
Being able to witness the evolution and formation of new species in a place like Lake Þingvallavatn is of immense value.
The Þingvellir area is part of a fissure zone running through Iceland, being situated on the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The faults and fissures of the area make evident the rifting of the earth's crust.
![nattura_flekahreyfingar3](/media/ixihafof/flekahreyfingar3.jpg?width=314&height=228&rnd=132952123396770000)
Tectonic Movements
Þingvellir is connected to volcanic and fissure belt that runs across Iceland called the Mid-Atlantic ridge.
![nattura_flekahreyfingar4](/media/mxamx5wy/flekahreyfingar4.jpg?width=314&height=228&rnd=132952123333930000)
Geologic history
During the last glacial period, a layer of ice, more than a 1000 metres thick, covered the land.
![Lake Þingvallavatn](/media/ijapgmrm/thingvallavatn_.jpg?width=314&height=228&rnd=133511029379630000)
Lake Þingvallavatn
An old Icelandic proverb says "Fertile is water that runs under lava." The proverb is particularly appropriate for the water that flows into Lake Þingvallavatn.
![DJI 0607Minni](/media/2hzg4hu0/dji_0607minni.jpg?width=314&height=228&rnd=132966020297200000)
Watershed
Lake Þingvallavatn lies in a rift valley that extends south from the Langjökull glacier to mount Hengill, and from Botnssúlur in the west to Lyngdalsheiði in the east.
![Fishes in lake Þingvallavatn, Brown trout, four morphs of arctic char and threespine stickleback](/media/m1ub1w5z/fiskar_allar.png?width=314&height=228&rnd=133511019089730000)
Fish in the lake
In the lake live three of the five species of freshwater fish found in Iceland: brown trout, Arctic charr and the three-spine stickleback.
![Dsc01829minni](/media/lx3b42tg/dsc01829minni.jpg?width=314&height=228&rnd=132966021603230000)
Vegetation and wildlife
Birch woodland is characteristic of the Þingvellir area, indicated by the original name of the area in Icelandic: Bláskógar (literally "Blue Woods").