Iceland, the land of fire and ice
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Transcript of Iceland, the land of fire and ice
ICELANDThe land of fire and ice
Iceland is situated near the polar circle,
white nights are quite common here in summer.
Midnight sun in the north of the country
Iceland is truly an island of extremes and contrasts,
where large glaciers dwell in the vicinity of some of the
most active volcanoes in the world, creating an unusual harmony of fire and ice.
The most famous and active volcano in Iceland is mount Hekla, which has erupted 18
times since 1104, the last time in the year 2000.
There are over hundred volcanoes on Iceland’s central plateau, most of which have not erupted in the past
thousand years.
However, between 30 and 40 are still active, meaning that they have erupted within last few centuries. 18 volcanoes have erupted since the settlement of Iceland.
Surtsey is an volcanic island and is called a stratovolcano. It is made from many layers
of ash, lava, and other particles. It is interesting that it just popped out of the ocean
in 1963.
The Surtsey Volcano
In two years the eruptions stopped but near its shores
a new island appeared – Sirtlingur.
Askja is a very complex volcano made up of three calderas. The volcano has mostly erupted basaltic material over its recent history. The calderas are formed by passive sinking of the land surface, much like we see in Hawai’i. However, at Askja, it appears that the calderas are formed more violently due to explosive eruptions out of the ring fractures bounding the calderas. The most recent activity at Askja was in 1961. That caldera-forming eruption in 1875 was large enough that ash and tephra fell as far away as Norway and Sweden.
Pseudocrater
The Lake Mivatn
Iceland is a geological "hot spot", causing the huge number of hot springs and
spouting geysers around the country. Iceland is packed with warm springs, pools,
fumaroles, mud pots, colourful soil and, of course, spouting geysers. The Geysir
area in Haukadalur valley is Iceland's most famous geothermal area, with the
world famous Geysir and Strokkur springs spouting regularly.
Historically, geothermal power has been limited to areas near tectonic plate
boundaries. Iceland, which lies on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, was basically formed
by the drifting apart of the American and Eurasian tectonic plates and therefore
creating the perfect settings for the usability of geothermal heat.
Fumaroles and mud pots
Solfatara –
a jet of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide with an admixture of water vapors, carbon
dioxide, and other gases. Solfataras are emitted from lava and other pyroclastic flows and through vents and
fissures in the walls and bottoms of craters
and on the slopes of volcanoes. Their
temperature ranges from 100° to 300°C.
Fumarolas -
emission of gases and vapours from a
volcanic conduit or a lava flow
Area of thermal fields in Krisuvik
A geyser is a hot spring that periodically erupts, throwing water into the air. The word geyser comes from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush".
Iceland uses geothermal energy for a diverse area of services, including electricity production, spas, home heating, fish farming, and industrial process heat. More than 95% of Iceland’s urban population heat their homes and buildings with geothermal energy.
It’s possible to swim in some rivers even in the cold weather. The water temperature is about 37 C.
Geothermal waters are being used as bathing areas.
Not only people use the Earth’s heat.
Hundreds of gulls seat on the warm soil of the
geothermal areas in the south part of island.
Streams of lava
Basalt cliffs of Skagafjordur
Beautiful volcanic landscapes
Differential weathering destroys volcanic area creating fanciful relief
forms
Basaltic sculptures
Basaltic island
Basaltic bridge
The gorge Elgjya at the river Skauta (the south of the island)
The rivers create beautiful cascades and bridges in the basaltic
rocks
The icelandic rivers are full of rises and waterfalls
The river Jokjulsau-a-Fielljum flows through basaltic areas
creating rises and gorges
Eruptive landscape of Iceland
Solid volcanic masses
Thawed waters of the Skaftafell glacier
Destructive activity of the rivers.
The river Jokjulsau-a-Felljum
The river Skeidra in the south of the
island starts at the glacier
Vatnajokjudl
The longest gorge within Iceland is located in the
National Park Jokjulsaurljuvjur in the
north-western part of the island.
The waterfall Detifoss at the river Jokjulsau-
a-Fiodljum is considered the
biggest one among european countries.
The bright rainbow above Detifoss
waterfall.
Skagafoss waterfall
Godafoss waterfall at the river
Skjyalfandaflet
Impressive waterfall Gullfoss at the river Hvita in the south
of the island
Selgafoss waterfall is one of the highest at the island.
The lake is situated in the crater of the volcano Askja in the north-east of the glacier Vatnajökull. Its name simply means the lake of Askja. It was created by an enormous volcanic eruption in 1875.
On July 10, 1907, two German scientists, Walter von Knebel and Max Rudloff disappeared while exploring the lake in a small boat.
Vatnajokull is the biggest glacier in Europe. It covers about 8% of the country and the average thickness is 400m.
Skaftafedl glacier in the south-west of Vatnajokull glacier
Icebergs split off the glaciers
Any visitor of Iceland will admire the beauty of the rugged landscapes of Iceland.
Today only 1 or 2 percent of the island's surface is covered by downy birch trees
A typical plant that generally grows all over Iceland in poor conditions but is quite conspicuous in these regions is the Moss campion.
Among the few flowers in Iceland one mark beautiful
orchids
Viola
Cotton grass is a typical flower in the black bog soil
Typical Icelandic landscape – volcanic
mountains and bog soils
Stadasveit area
Nootka Lupin and Lyme grasses are seemed to be the only species that prevent the slope erosion.
Atlantic Puffin – is the symbol of Iceland. These birds have
bright- coloured beaks and legs, very often
they are called “North Parrots”. The Atlantic Puffin likes to eat fish,
squid, and crustaceans.
Iceland is one of the main breeding
grounds for waterfowl in Europe. There are no fewer than 16 species of
duck known to nest in Iceland, including
two American species; Barrow's
Goldeneye and the Harlequin Duck.
The severe nature of the island attracts by its beauty
and extravagance.
The tourists travel around Iceland alone and in groups.
.
One of the oldest churches on the island
(XVIII century).
The modern church in
Reykjavík.