Geothermal Grounds at Myvatn, May 2011.
While in Iceland, we spent a few days in the capital city, Reykjavik, before renting a car and venturing off on our own around to the northern edge of the country to smaller towns like Akureyri and Husavik. Because the interior geography of Iceland is so treacherous, there is one highway that runs around the perimeter of the island that serves as the only passable roadway for travelers like us in a tiny Volkswagon Polo.
While in Akureyri, we hired a guide to take us through the more difficult-to-traverse area of Myvatn, and that's where we were when I took this roll of film. This was probably one of my most favorite days on the trip, as we visited the geothermal grounds pictured above (it legitimately looked like Mars) as well as the meeting of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. There were bubbling mud pots and steaming geysers everywhere we looked. I have truly never felt geographically farther from home than I did on this day.
Another interesting fact about these two plates is that they are actually slowly drifting apart, making the gap in between a bit larger every year. Here are some impressive photos of a diver and the same two tectonic plates, but from an underwater point of view.
More of my Iceland photos here!
