Today, I witnessed some of the most beautiful scenic views in my entire life! Snow capped mountains, the ocean crashing into sea stacks, beautiful, volcanic rocks, and so much more. But, we were able to do so much other than just looking at the views... we were actually able to explore our surroundings and observe even the smallest details with our hand lens. The views that we were able to see will be something that I will always remember and hopefully one day will be able to see again.
We started our day off with a quick stop off of highway 42. We were bored edged by a steep slope with multiple layers of volcanic basalt and a very tall cliff that looked over the ocean. This views were absolutely stunning! The layers smoothly transitioned between a dark, rocky material and a smooth and lighter in color layer. The dark layers in the slope were volcanic magma that cooled into basaltic rock. This type of rock is very porous and is easily able to be eroded by water that could exist in the area. When touching the basalt, it crumbled in my hand and turned into what seemed like a dirt-like substance. This was extremely stapes be since I have never witnessed such an easily erodable rock. However, because Iceland has so much bipolar weather, lots of freezing and thawing of the rocks take place when it rains or snows. Freeze-thawing causes the material to showly become less durable and crumble easier. Very interesting, especially since once upon a time, this was actual magma with a low viscosity. The slope of the layerings also showed that the magma flowed up the mountain instead of down... strange since I always pictured magma piling on top on each other with rushing speed and destroying everything in its way. But, I guess this always happens no matter which way the magma flows.
Our next stop was a bit scary for me. The area was called Reykjanes Peninsula and it had lots and lots of mud pots and steam vents due to the high-temperature geothermal area. I've seen so many scary movies of people (being stupid), and climbing into a mud pot thinking it was just a regular hot tub. Not a pretty scene to watch. There was so much steam rising from the ground and at certain areas, I couldn't even see the person in front of me! But, while these features were scary, they were also beautiful and many had a silver appearance (and strong egg-smell)! The surrounding rocks were also quite beautiful due to the different stages of oxidation that they have gone through. Some were black, some were brown, some were yellow, and some were red, which were my favorite. Climbing to the top of a nearby mountain was extremely strenuous since we were trying to complete this task in a short amount of time. It was extremely steep, almost completely vertical, and a little slippery when I would try to step on a smooth rock. The bright side was that I got a major calf, hamstring, and gluteal workout! However, this intense, physical activity was worth it in the end because the view was amazing! I could see the mountains in the background of the visible land, Green Lake to the right of my view, large clouds of steam rising to the left, and a vast plain down below with small hills, grassy areas and changing colors in vegetation.
Our last stop for the day was near the coast where we were actually able to climb over rocks and slide down steeper ones. It was just like spelunking again... except we weren't in a cave and didn't have to crawl on our stomach while using a headlamp. The views were also nothing like being in a cave. However, I will say that they were just as beautiful as the caves views since there was so much birdlife, ocean movement, huge cliffs that towered above us, and large sea stacks that surrounded us. The visible Pillow Basalt was probably one of my favorite features due to the large, oval-shapes on the sides of the cliffs. These features are formed from rapid cooling of the magma underwater causing the pressure to break through the outercrust and form a budging shape. I also really enjoyed the columns of basalt, especially the ones that were not attached to anything else but were standing solely by itself. It was really interesting to see these features because before today, I had no idea that any of these things existed or knew that they could exist!
It was so relaxing to end our day at... well, basically a spa. Blue Lagoon is a giant, giant hot tub created by the remains of a nearby power plant with its runoff of silica. We were able to use a creamy form of silica as a face mask and in Dr. Suresh's words, "looked like white-faced monkeys." I took this comment as a compliment. Of course we had to undress and shower in the locker room with many other woman, but I must say, it wasn't nearly as embarrassing as it was the first time. We have all grown very close in only 3 days time! All the activities today were very memorable and a great way to end my time Reykjavik!
