markstaða

Markstaða is a term used in Icelandic surveying and historical cartography to denote fixed reference points that were used to determine or mark property boundaries and geodetic control. The word combines mark, the sign or boundary, and staða, position or place. In practice, markstaða could be natural features or man-made markers placed to serve as reproducible points for measurements and for delineating land ownership in deeds and maps.

Historically, markstaða were often stones, cairns, posts, or prominent landmarks whose positions could be trusted over time. They functioned as anchoring points for field measurements and for aligning maps to real-world coordinates. In archival records, markstaða are described in deeds and survey reports to specify the location of boundaries without relying on continuous lines.

In modern surveying, markstaða are increasingly replaced by official control points and GPS-based benchmarks. Nevertheless, references to markstaða persist in historical sources and in discussions of old land division practices. Their identification and preservation can be of interest to researchers, archaeologists, and local communities seeking to understand historical land use and ownership.

See also: boundary marker, cadastral surveying, benchmarks.