Igneous Rocks and Ice

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Geologically speaking, Iceland is a new country, only 10 million years old. By contrast, Uluru is more than 400 million years old.

Iceland has more than 30 frequently erupting volcanoes who, spectacularly, contribute to the growing land mass of the island. They famously curtail international air flights at will and create wastelands that are thoughtfully being revegetated. Iceland also has five lumbering giant glaciers who are retreating 500 metres each year, thanks to climate change. Several volcanoes lie below glaciers and make for powerful and unique natural disasters. Unsurprisingly, ICE-SAR is a world leading search and rescue organization with 30 thousand volunteers (10 percent of total population) who specialize in volcano, glacier and ocean operations.

Running through Iceland is the only place on the planet where the Mid Atlantic Ridge exists above sea level. The zone where the tectonic plate is pulling apart, is a spectacular active geothermal area. The heat it generates is being captured and used for power (arguably not a renewable source).

The entire country is a fantastical combination of igneous (from volcanoes) rock formations and ice. The oldest landscapes are gracefully carved by Ice Age Glaciers, the mountains are draped in green and capped with white snow and blue volcanic-ash bespeckled ice. Iceland is everything a volcano otaku (geek) could wish for.

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Photos

Mt Krafla
with Viti crater in the foreground.

Solheimajokul
(Solheim glacier) retreating at 1 km per year.

ICE-SAR equipment
on display

Glacial ice
melting on a black sand beach.

Leirhnjukur
lava field

Jokulsarlon:
icebergs drifting on a glacial lake towards the sea.

Eldfell cinder cone
on Vestmannaeyjar

Snow racks
to stabilize snow and prevent avalanches

Drangajokull (Dranga glacier)
viewed from across