the space between plates and lava tubes

---

I took an organized tour on my first day in Reykjavik, to some lava tubes and to snorkel in the Silfra fissure. The first part took me to the lava fields north of Reykjavik. Once at the fields, we went inside one of the lava tubes. It's very similar to cave spelunking, you get head lamps, and then make your way into the tube. There is also standard, everyone turns their lights off, and you experience what total darkness feels like. It's somewhat eery, and messes with my head everytime I do it. It's mostly because your eyes are trying to adjust, and are frantically searching for any light, only to not find any.



The second part of the day involved snorkeling in the Silfra fissure. The silfra fissure is a lava tube between the North American and Euroasian tetonic plates, that is filled with glacial ice melt. Contrary to belief, the space between the tetonic plates is about 5km, so you can't simply put a foot on each tetonic plate. They start by putting into two suits, one to keep you warm, and one to make you float. They then tie off the neck, and wrist parts of the suit, they really don't want you to be cold. Finally, you are able to snorkel in the fissure, and it's beautiful. The water makes a extremely blue color and because it's glacial melt, the water is so pure, you can see all the way to the bottom (about 20m). The best part, if the water gets in your tube, just drink it, it's not salt water. I stayed in the water as long as the guides would let me, before I made my way back to reykjavik.

---