Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [33]
Iceland isn’t truly an Arctic country, though – the northernmost point of the mainland falls short of the Arctic Circle by a few kilometres. To cross that imaginary boundary you’ll need to travel to the island of Grímsey, Iceland’s only true piece of Arctic territory.
Geology
A mere baby in geological terms, Iceland is the youngest country in Europe, formed by underwater volcanic eruptions along the joint of the North American and Eurasian plates 17 to 20 million years ago. These two massive tectonic plates create a fault line across the centre of Iceland and right down the Atlantic Ocean.
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GEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING
Everywhere you go in Iceland you’ll be bombarded with geological jargon to describe the landscape. The terms below will let you one-up the other geological neophytes.
Basalt – the most common type of solidified lava. This hard, dark, dense volcanic rock often solidifies into columns.
Igneous – a rock formed by solidifying lava or magma.
Moraine – a ridge of boulders, clay and sand carried and deposited by a glacier.
Obsidian – black, glassy rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallisation.
Rhyolite – light-coloured, fine-grained volcanic rock similar to granite in composition.
Scoria – porous volcanic gravel that has cooled rapidly while moving, creating a glassy surface with iron-rich crystals that give it a glittery appearance.
Tephra – solid matter ejected into the air by an erupting volcano.
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The earth’s crust in Iceland is only a third of its normal thickness, and magma (molten rock) continues to rise from deep within, forcing the two plates apart. The result is clearly visible at Þingvellir, where the great rift Almannagjá broadens by between 1mm and 18mm per year, and at Námafjall, where a series of steaming vents mark the ridge.
Along with the dramatic steaming vents, bubbling mudpots, weird rock formations and lava fields that draw in valuable tourist currency, Iceland’s unique position on top of a highly active fault line brings other benefits. Turn on any Icelandic shower and you’ll have piping hot water instantly (but try to brush your teeth and you’ll have to wait a minute for the cold water to filter through). Iceland has a surplus of superheated steam and hot water that is used to produce cheap electricity, heat buildings and swimming pools, and even keep the pavements of Reykjavík clear of snow in winter.
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Icelanders used to believe that if a pregnant woman stared at the aurora borealis her child would be born cross-eyed.
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Iceland’s use of geothermal power is one of the most creative in the world, and the country’s energy experts are now advising both Chinese and Indian industries on possible ways to harness geothermal sources. Iceland is also hoping to reduce its dependency on imported fossil fuels, and it has begun to invest in hydrogen-fuel research with the aim of phasing out petrol- and diesel-powered cars by midcentury.
Glaciers & Ice Caps
Glaciers and ice caps cover about 15% of Iceland, many of which are remnants of a cool period that began 2500 years ago. Ice caps are formed as snow piles up over millennia in an area where it’s never warm enough to melt. The weight of the snow causes it to slowly compress into ice, eventually crushing the land beneath the ice cap and allowing the ice around the edges to flow downward in glaciers.
These slow-moving rivers of ice have carved out and shaped much of the Icelandic landscape since its creation, forming the glacial valleys and fjords that make those picture-postcard photos today.
Iceland’s largest ice cap, Vatnajökull in the southeast, covers almost 13% of the country and is the third-largest in the world. Other major ice