Today’s blog is brough to you by students Julia and Zach.

Our first stop of the day was the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant where we learned about the geology of Iceland. We were also introduced to CarbFix, a modern sustainability program located in Iceland, near the power plant, which actively takes carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and injects them into basalt rocks, to speed up chemical reactions that would otherwise occur. This is an efficient, yet costly, method that is gaining popularity as a way to reduce carbon emissions. According to our guide, Iceland’s abundance of basalt rock could theoretically store the majority of the world’s carbon emissions.

Our second stop was the Kerid Crater filled with blue-green water. We hiked around the top of the rim and then through a trail around the bottom of the crater. We observed that the slopes around the water were red, as seen in the images, indicating that the rocks contained large amounts of iron.

After heading north, we shared a quick lunch before walking along the trail that led to Gulfoss, which translates to “golden waterfalls” in Icelandic. As we walked closer, the roaring of the water grew louder and the mist from the splashing falls grew thicker and denser, until it seemed like it was raining.

Though exciting to watch, the Strokkur Geyser was the smelliest part of the journey. The largest geyser erupted every 5-8 minutes with a large column of water moving upwards in the air, before crashing back down. The other geysers erupted less often, but the color of their water was usually a more vivid aqua-blue. According to the signs, the water was about 80 to 100 degrees Celsius (175-210 degrees Fahrenheit).

Our final stop of circle was Thingvellir, one of the only locations on Earth where you can stand between two divergent plates. Plate tectonics account for the separation of Pangea into the continental setup of the world as we know it today. The Eurasian and the North American plates are divergent, which means that they are moving away from each other, and because of this, we were able to walk across some of the newest rock on Earth. These plates are moving away from each other at a rate of 2 cm per year.

The group shared a dinner in a nearby family restaurant. A portion of the group headed to the pool after, which had several slides, a ropes course, and different temperature pools, while the rest of the group enjoyed some well-deserved down time.

— Julia and Zach