At The End of the Earth: Iceland
Ancient Lava Field Covered with Moss on the Southern Coast
The climate of Iceland's coast is subpolar oceanic. The warm North Atlantic Current ensures generally higher annual temperatures than in most places of similar latitude in the world. Constant coastal mist produce four inch thick blankets on aa lava fields. Every precarious footstep seems an insult to this rich botanical carpet.
Braided River, Skeidararsandur
Late in the evening of September 30, 1996, seismometers detected the beginning of an eruption under the glacier. One of the volcanoes had previously collapsed and formed a caldera named Grimsvotn, in which a subglacial lake had been accumulated. Late on the first of October, the day after the eruption started, the surface of the ice over the caldera had risen ten to fifteen meters. The next day, the eruption broke through the surface of the ice, emitting an ash cloud ten kilometers high. The volcano quieted on the thirteenth, but the ice continued to melt and overflow the Grimsvotn lake. More than three cubic kilometers of ice melted, but little was emitted through normal runoff points. Since an ice dam and the caldera itself held the melt back, the jokulhlaup would not occur until November, or at least one month later.
Braided River, Skeidararsandur
At 7:20am on the fifth of November, the meltwater burst vertically from two kilometers above the tongue of the glacier. By four that afternoon, the jokulhlaup was fully realized. A mixture of sediment, meltwater, and ice moved at ten kilometers per hour from the full twenty-kilometer width of the glacier's terminus across Skeidararsandur, forming standing waves three and four meters high. The total flow peaked at over fifty thousand cubic meters per second in the five outwash channels, making it briefly the second largest river of the world. The flood obliterated a 376-meter-long bridge, the majority of a second bridge nine hundred meters in length, twelve kilometers of roadway, twenty-three power-line towers, and causing fourteen million United States dollars in damage while adding seven square kilometers to the area of Iceland. Thankfully, there were no fatalities or injuries, and the flood did not reach any nearby settlements.
Marine Snail Harvest, Stykkisholmer
The common whelk (Buccinum undatum) is an inhabitant of coastal areas of the northern Atlantic Ocean, as well on the eastern coast as on the western coast. The whelk mainly lives in cold water with a salt content of around 2 to 3 percent. The whelk lives on different soils, but it is most frequently found on soft ground, for example muddy and sandy ocean floor habitats, in depths between 5 and 200 meters (15 to 600 feet). Whelks of different ages are used to live in different depths; the older whelks seem to prefer deeper sea areas, whereas the younger ones live near the shore.
Whelk, Buccinum Undatum, Commercially Harvested
The whelk with up to 11 centimeters shell length (nearly half a foot) is one of the largest European snails. Its shell color usually is hard to determine, because it either is camouflaged with an algae cover fitting the ocean floor, or covered with barnacles (Balanus). Like most other sea snails with a shell the whelk also possesses a lid (operculum) on its foot tip closing the shell aperture, when the snail withdraws into the shell.
Whelks are carnivores. Mainly they feed on worms, crustaceans, mussels and other mollusks. The whelk drills holes into the shells of their prey eat the soft interior.
Commercial Fisherman, Stykkisholmur
The fishing industry has grown to symbolize Iceland's economic independence from its Scandinavian neighbors. The Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries reported that in 1999 the total catch of fish by the Icelandic fleet was 1.7 million tons. In 2000, marine products accounted for more than 70 percent of Iceland's total export earnings, making Iceland's economy vulnerable to changing world fish prices.
Drying Codfish Heads, Olafsfjordur
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by sun and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore called flakes, or in special drying houses. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years. The method is cheap and effective in suitable climates, the work can be done by the fisherman and family, and the resulting product is easily transported to market.
Glacier Lagoon Tours on Amphibious Vehicle, Jokulsarlon
The lagoon can be seen along Route 1 between Hofn and Skaftafell. It presents a picturesque parade termed as “A ghostly procession of luminous blue ice-bergs." The tongue of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is a major attraction for tourists. Tour operators conduct snowmobiles and jeep tours to visit the glacier along the winding iceberg studded Jökulsárlón Lagoon.
Glacier Ice on Beach - Jokulsarlon
Jökulsárlón is the largest glacier lagoon or lake in Iceland. Situated in south eastern Iceland, at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier branching from the Vatnajökull, between Skaftafell National Park and Höfn, it evolved into a lagoon after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
Gullfoss Waterfalls
Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The wide Hvítá rushes southward. About a kilometer above the falls it turns sharply to the left and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 m and 21 m) into a crevice 32 m (105 ft) deep. The crevice, about 20 m (60 ft) wide, and 2.5 km in length, is at right angles to the flow of the river. The average amount of water running over this waterfall is 140 m³/s in the summertime and 80 m³/s in the wintertime. The highest flood measured was 2000 m³/s.
Icelandic Horses
The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, most registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Icelandic horses are late-developers, but are also long-lived and hardy. In their native country they have few diseases; Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return. The breed has now been bred pure in Iceland for more than 1,000 years.
Icelandic Horses in Pasture
Developed from ponies taken to Iceland by Scandinavian settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries, the breed is mentioned in literature and historical records throughout Icelandic history; the first reference to a named horse appears in the 12th century. Horses were venerated in Norse mythology, a custom brought to Iceland by the country's earliest settlers. Selective breeding over the centuries has developed the breed into its current form.
Icelandic Horses Pasturing Below Towering Cliffs
Krafla Geothermal Power Plant
Since 1977 the Krafla area has been the source of the geothermal energy used by a 60 MWe power station. A survey undertaken in 2006 indicated very high temperatures at depths of between 3 and 5 kilometers and these favorable conditions have led to the development of the first well from the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP), that found magma only 2.1 km deep.
Lake Myvatn
Mývatn is a shallow eutrophic lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from Krafla volcano. The lake and its surrounding wetlands have an exceptionally rich fauna of waterbirds, especially ducks. The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars and rootless vents (pseudocraters). The effluent river Laxá is known for its rich fishing for Brown Trout and Atlantic Salmon.
Lava Field w/Iron Oxide Rich Scoria & Cinder Cone, Leirhnjùkuri
The Crater Row that was formed on top of the eruptive fissure is called Threngslaborgir (or Ludentarborgir) and has often been used as a textbook example of this type of volcanic activity.
The Myvatn district lies on the western border of the volcanic zone, which cuts across northeastern Iceland from north to south and is an extension of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Cinder Cone, Leirhnjùkuri
Lake Myvatn was created about 2300 years ago by a large fissure eruption pouring out basaltic lava. The lava flowed down the Laxardalur Valley to the lowland plain of Adaldalur where it entered the Arctic Ocean about 50 km away from Myvatn. The Crater Row that was formed on top of the eruptive fissure is called Threngslaborgir (or Ludentarborgir) and has often been used as a textbook example of this type of volcanic activity.
Visitors at Geothermal Basin, Kroflustod
All geological formations are quite recent, dating from the Ice Age and postglacial times.
Geothermal Pools, Leirhnjùkuri
Geothermal Pools, Leirhnjùkuri, Iceland (near Lake Myvatn)
All geological formations are quite recent, dating from the Ice Age and postglacial times.
Blue Lagoon Spa
The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The steamy waters are part of a lava formation. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis.
Moss & Igneous Rock, Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar (Icelandic, meaning the people's pools) is a region near the volcano Hekla in southern section of Iceland's highlands. The Landmannalaugar area is a popular tourist destination and hiking hub in Iceland's highlands. The area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like the multicolored rhyolite mountains and expansive lava fields.
Port of Stykkisholmur, Snaefellsnes
Stykkishólmur became a centre for trade, transportation and services on Breiðafjörður early on in Iceland’s history. The town is still an ideal destination for those whose who wish to experience diversity of nature and life on Breiðafjörður.
Port of Stykkisholmur, Snaefellsnes
A great deal of effort has been put into preserving the town’s old houses, and old buildings thus have a great influence on the appearance of downtown Stykkishólmur. The oldest building, the Norwegian House (Norska Húsið), is the Snæfellsnes Folk Museum.
Rainbow Over Dettifoss Falls
Dettifoss definitely blew us away with its sheer size and power. Perhaps a waterfall so wild and fierce was befitting of an area that just screamed natural and raw as it flowed on the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum meandering through Iceland's version of the Grand Canyon – Jökulsárgljúfur.
Restless Surf, Basaltic Sea Cliffs, Dyrholaey
The small peninsula, or promontory, Dyrhólaey (120m) (formerly known as Cape Portland by English seamen) is located on the south coast of Iceland, not far from Vík í Mýrdal. It was formerly an island of volcanic origin, which is also known by the Icelandic word eyja meaning island.
Arctic Cotton Grass on the Southern Coast
Eriophorum callitrix, commonly known as Arctic Cotton, Arctic Cotton Grass, Bog Cotton or Suputi in Inuktitut, is an Arctic plant in the Cyperaceae family (sedge family). It is able to flourish in areas that are too cold for trees. This is a perennial plant with narrow leaves and flowering heads with dense bristles that persist as long white hairs in the fruiting stage. Cotton grasses are found growing with mosses and lichens in cold bogs and swampy ground.
Dettifoss Water Falls
The falls flows at about 500 cubic meters per second at high flow, with dimensions of 44m tall and 100m wide. Add it all up and we witnessed a monster that is quite possibly Europe's largest and most powerful waterfall (let alone Iceland's biggest). The milky color of the waterfall is due to the fact that the massive river is fed by the sediment-rich meltwaters of the vast Vatnajökull glacier.
Silica Deposits & Cooling Pools at the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Power Plant
These silica rich depositions are created as hot borehole water is released from the power plants into cooling ponds. As the water cools, dissolved silica comes out of solution forming intricate patterns in and around the volcanic rock.
Sellfoss Falls
Selfoss is a waterfall in the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum in the north of Iceland which drops over some waterfalls about 30 km before flowing into Öxarfjörður, a bay of the Arctic Sea.
Sundown Church, Brimilsvellir, Snaefellsnes Peninsula
One of the first farmers in Brimilsvellir was named Brimill and at the same time the farmer Mavur lived in Mavahlid. Those two could not agree on the border of their land and started a serious fight; which actually took place right on that piece of land where you can nowadays find our Brimilsvellir church. Both of them lost their lives during this battle and ever since a curse lies over this piece of land. Nobody is allowed to mow it, lest disaster happen. Almost every farmer so far kept to this rule. Farmer Toggi, who lived in Brimilsvellir, tried to mow the piece of land. While mowing, his tractor sank in a boggy area and could not be removed!
Thingvellir Fissure Zone
A geologically young land, Iceland lies on the north edge of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. It is being split by the divergent movements of the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Iceland is one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth. It is estimated that 1/3 of the planet’s lava erupted since 1500 A.D. was produced in Iceland.
At the northern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, sits the Thingvellir Fissure Zone. It is a tear in the earth where the divergent North American Plate meets the Euro-Asian Plate. The resulting vulcanism is the reason Iceland exists.
Vatnajokull Glacier on the Southern Coast
Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country. Under the ice cap, as under many of the glaciers of Iceland, there are several volcanoes. The volcanic lakes, Grímsvötn for example, were the sources of a large jökulhlaup (glacial lake outburst flood) in 1996. There was also a considerable but short-time eruption of the volcano under these lakes at the beginning of November 2004. In May 21, 2011 a volcanic eruption started í Grímsvötn in Vatnajökull National Park at around 7 p.m. The plume reached as high as 20 kilometers.
Woman Hanging Laundry, Egilsstadir
Egilsstaðir is a town in east Iceland on the banks of Lagarfljót river. The town has approximately 2,200 inhabitants. The town is young, even by Icelandic standards where urbanization is a fairly recent trend compared to mainland Europe.
Woman Hanging Laundry, Egilsstadir
Icelanders are the national group or ethnic group of Iceland descended primarily from Norsemen of Scandinavia and Celts from Ireland and Scotland. Historical and DNA records indicate that around 60 to 80 percent of the settlers were of Nordic origin and the rest were of Celtic stock from the British Isles. They are very friendly!