Iceland

I visited Iceland in October 2010 on a school trip.

Eyjafjallajokull

In April 2010, the volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted, emitting gas, dust and ash into the atmosphere which halted air traffic in Europe for a week. By the time we visited, several months later, the volcano had quietened down and we were able to visit its slopes to collect volcanic ash.

The photos we took (see below) of a white-capped peaceful-looking mountain show little resemblance to the footage of the eruption (underneath)! 

Þingvellir National Park

Pronounced 'Fingvellear', this National Park is the site of the ancient parliament in Iceland. You can also see the edges of the North American plate and the Eurasian plate where they are literally rifting Iceland apart.

Þingvallavatn lake at sunrise

Gullfoss

One of three waterfalls that we visited; Gullfoss means 'golden falls'.

Strokkur

Strokkur is a geyser that erupts every 4 to 5 minutes in a huge whoosh of boiling water and steam.

Strokkur about to erupt.

Skogarfoss

Skogarfoss, another waterfall, often produces a rainbow on sunny days because of the large amount of spray produced.

According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again.

Dyrholaey coastline

This coastline on the southern tip of Iceland features cliffs, stacks, arches, a black sandy beach and spectacular columnar basalt cliffs. 

Sea spray crashes through a natural arch, with the black sand beach and a stack in the background.

Solheimajokull glacier

A glacier extending off Myrdalsjokull, the ice cap which covers Eyjafjallajokull, Solheimajokull has a history of advancing and retreating.

Looking down the valley, the river formed by glacial meltwater can be seen.

Solheimajokull is a 'dirty' glacier, as this picture of morainic debris on top of the glacier shows.

A beautiful natural ice arch.

An arch of ice and debris above the meltwater stream.

Seljalandsfoss

Seljalandsfoss is unusual in that you can walk behind it, under the overhang.

Krysuvik

Mud pools and fumaroles, both with various minerals, gave off a rather eggy smell!

Kerið volcano crater

Kerið was a volcano which erupted so violently that the magma chamber was emptied and the weight of the cone collapsed into the chamber. Today, it is a very colourful crater, with red rocky sides, green plants growing, and a bright blue lake at the bottom.