A panoramic view from above the Námshraun lava flow. You can see how the flow makes a peninsula in Frostastaðavatn (the lake). The mountain Suðurnámur glows golden in the morning light. 

In the distance past Suðurnámur is the Laugahraun lava flow, and beyond it the mountain Bláhnúkur.

The Fjallabak Nature Reserve was established in 1979, covering 47,000 hectares. The land is mountainous, sculptured by volcanoes and geothermal activity, covered by lavas, sands, rivers and lakes. It takes its name from the numerous wild and rugged mountains with deeply incised valleys, which are found there. The topography of the Torfajokull, central volcano found within the reserve, is a result of the region being the largest rhyolite area in Iceland and the largest geothermal area (after Grimsvotn in Vatnajokull).

Volcanic activity in the last 10,000 years has been restricted to a few fissures. The most recent one, the Veidivotn fissure from 1480, formed Laugahraun, Namshraun, Nordurnamshraun, Ljotipollur and other craters which extend 30 km further to the north. Eruptions in the area tend to be explosive and occur every 500-800 years, previous known eruptions being around AD 150 and 900.