Iceland in Autumn: Land of Fire...

Part 3

Land of Fire...

Iceland is also known as the land of fire and ice due to its glaciers and tectonic activity (nothing to do with A Song of Ice and Fire btw). Iceland itself is growing in landmass as it sits straddling the mid-Atlantic ridge where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are moving away from one another. There are also hotspots here, weak areas in the earth’s crust which are thinner than normal. These allow heating and venting of water and mud and contribute to renewable power which makes up 85% of energy usage in Iceland and almost all of its electricity. These abundant renewable sources make electricity and heating very affordable in comparison to here in the UK.

We visited some of these geothermal areas. First off, we visited Geysir to see the geysers. Pools and streams steamed into the cool air and the ground was mottled and stained with minerals. Litli Geysir bubbled away like a small jacuzzi and we watched and waited for Strokkur to erupt into the air, as this occurs roughly every 5-10 minutes. You can see the water pool bubbling and a great dome inflates on the surface just before hot water shoots 20 metres up into the air.

Strokkur errupting

The Great Geysir itself was a pool steaming nearby, this had reached heights of 70 metres in the past making it the second largest active geyser in the world after Steamboat at Yellowstone, USA, though it erupts rarely now. 

We also paid a visit to Gunnuhveh. Named after the ghost of a woman this was an expanse of mottled clays steaming and bubbling with fumaroles and mud pools that looked something like I imagine the surface of Venus to resemble. The air smelt of sulphur and signs warned us of the acidity of the water and the temperatures of the ground which could reach 80-100°C. As such we walked along the boardwalks to visit a large steam vent billowing into the crisp cold air. This had become more active since 2007 when it destroyed a section of boardwalk causing the area to be partially closed until 2010.

Gunnuhveh

The destroyed boardwalk

Along the roadside we passed the vast Laki lavafields. A vast swathe of bloated rocks peagreen with moss that stretched on for miles. These are the remains and subsequent primary succession  of nature from the eruption of the volcano Grímsvötn which caused fissures to open up in the ground. This occurred between 1783 and 1784 lasting for 8 months.

The eruption led to a fall in global temperatures and led to crop failure across Europe and effecting the monsoon cycle leading to drought and famine in parts of Africa and India and the middle East. It is estimated to have led to the deaths of around 6 million people, making it the deadliest eruption in historical times.

Such is the power of what is right under our feet. 
Next week: The Ice part of 'Ice'land: From glacier to ocean, and probably the most beautiful sights here.