Colors of Iceland:A study of geological palettes.
Djúpalónssandur:This sandy beach is located at the base of Snæfellsjokull. Here you can find the remains of the Grimsby fishing trawler Epine (GY7) that was wrecked there on March 13, 1948.
Evindarholar:This area of moonscape-like basalt in Southern Iceland has small scattered patches of moss that serve as footholds for small plants.
Eyjafjallajökull:This oft mispronounced volcano which erupted in 2010 shut down airports across Europe. Locals, when talking to tourists, refer to it as E16 (16 letters starting with E). If you break the word up into its components, it isn't that bad. Eyja means island, fjalla means mountain, and jökull means glacier.
Geysir:This geyser is why geysers are called geysers. It once erupted fairly regularly but impatient tourists would chuck stones into the opening to try and force an eruption. Sadly this ended up clogging it causing the eruptions to become even less frequent.
Hellnar:Situated on the tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, Hellnar is a town with a population of 11. If you visit, try the fish stew in the cafe at the bottom of the cliff path. It is beyond compare.
Hlíðartún:Icelandic horses can be seen scattered throughout the country. No non-Icelandic horses are allowed into the country and once an Icelandic horse leaves Iceland, it is not allowed to return.
Mýrdalsjökull:This glacier whose name means mire valley glacier can be easily seen from the Ring Road which circles the island. Laharic flood deposits from the 1918 eruption extended the coastline by 5 kilometers.
Skeidflotur:The main road near Vík weaves in and out of valleys of green and brown. The harsh yellow and black road signs feel oddly at home in this landscape.
Snæfellsjökull:This mountain is one of the most famous sites of Iceland, primarily due to the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, in which the protagonists find the entrance to a passage leading to the center of the earth on Snæfellsjökull.
Snæfellsnes:This narrow peninsula reaches out towards Greenland from the west coast of Iceland. The colors of the landscape change dramatically mile after mile and the main road passes through large patches of hardened lava flows.
Thórsmörk:The Thorsmork mountain range is very popular among hikers. Here, geologists study the mountainside after the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull drained a lake in less than 2 hours.
Tungufljót:This beautiful blue river cuts through moss-covered lava deposits near Geysir and Gullfoss.
Vík í Mýrdal:This coastal town is home to the Reynisdrangar which is one of the most recognizable rock formations in all of Iceland. They are basalt sea stacks but legend says they are petrified trolls caught at sunrise trying to drag a ship to shore.
Þingvellir:This geologically dramatic and culturally significant location is the site of a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. From the years 930 to 1789, it served as the location of the Icelandic Parliament.
Þjórsá:This glacier river has its source on the glacier Hofsjökull. It cuts through the highlands and spreads out into a robustly colored river delta before joining the Atlantic Ocean. 