ICELAND
Country of extreme natural beauty
Author: Moyan Brenn from Anzio, Italy . Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Iceland, Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon during a night with aurora borealis seen from east beach, from area of Thorsmork
Why Iceland possesses an extremely beautiful nature in the world ?
these are the 4 causes …
1) The situation:
Iceland is an island state bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. Its closest neighbors are: Greenland, 287 km to the northwest, and the Faroe Islands, 420 km to the southeast. Covering an area of 103,000 km2.
The main island is located a few kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. The island of Grímsey is located on the Arctic Circle, and the uninhabited island of Kolbeinsey is the northernmost point of Iceland.
Source: countryreports.org
2) Geology:
From a point of view of plate tectonics, the north-western part of Iceland is on the American plate and the southeast part is on the Eurasian plate. Moreover, a hot spot would be just below Iceland, more precisely under the Vatnajökull massif. This unique situation generates an important volcanic and geothermal activity on the island, located mainly along this graben, where the magma is closest to the surface.
Author: Boaworm. Source: en.wikipedia.org
Overview of the 2nd fissure on Fimmvörðuháls, close to Eyjafjallajökull, as the lava flows down towards the north, turning snow into steam.
Author: Chris, from Falmouth, UK. Source: fr.m.wikipedia.org
Strokkur, a geysir in Iceland
Author: LalouBLue. Source: pixabay.com
Iceland, Geyser
Author:
The boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates
3) Topography:
Iceland has a rather important relief. The center of the island (the highlands of Iceland) constitutes a vast plateau of altitude more than 500 m, and the coasts are often mountainous, cut out of fjords (in particular the western fjords region and the ‘ Austurland). The highest point of the island is the Hvannadalshnjúkur volcano, to the southeast, with an altitude of 2,109.6 m.
Approximately 10% of the island is covered by glaciers. These glaciers feed several large glacial rivers, with the longest Þjórsá (230 km) and the largest Ölfusá (423 m3 / s)
Author: Boaworm. Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Víti, the geothermal lake at the Askja caldera, Iceland.
Author: LalouBLue. Source: pixabay.com
Iceland, Nature
Author: LalouBLue. Source: pixabay.com
Kerlingarfjoll, Iceland
Author: Onasill ~ Bill Badzo. Source: flickr.com
Reykjanes Peninsula, the bleak lava beds.
A lava field, also called a lava plain or lava bed, is a large expanse of nearly flat-lying lava flows. The extent of large lava fields is most readily grasped from the air or in satellite photos, where their typically dark, nearly black color contrasts sharply with the rest of the landscape
author:
Aerial View of Viti Crater
4) Climate:
The island is almost totally located south of the Arctic Circle and is therefore very short daylight in winter, and very short nights in summer. Only the small island of Grímsey, which is the northernmost inhabited place of Iceland, is crossed by the Arctic Circle.Iceland has a climate of tundra subjected to cold polar winds. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, its southern and western coasts enjoy a much milder temperature in winter than New York22. Temperatures never get much higher than 0 ° C
Due to the accelerated melting of glaciers in the context of global warming, the island has been undergoing a rapid rise in its soil for 30 years. of local climate changes sufficient to melt ice at an accelerated rate. Soil elevation is not perfectly homogeneous: some parts of the South Central of the island rise by 35 mm / year, a speed that surprises researchers. [wikipedia.org]
Author: cheryl strahl. Source: flickr.com
Hoffellsjökull Glacier
Due to climate change, the Hoffellsjökull Glacier has retreated from a considerable distance and a deep glacial lake is developing rapidly in the depression left behind.
Source: maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com
Coast Atlantic Ocean, Iceland
Author: photovicky.Source: pixabay.com
Iceland, Waterfall Godafoss
Author: falco. Source: pixabay.com
Iceland, Thor Marque River
Really fantastic photos – would love to go there