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Iceland

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Almannagja, the exposed eastern boundary of the North American geologic plate, Thingvellir National Park.
Almannagja, a large canyon-like fault in Thingvellir National Park, is actually the exposed eastern boundary of the North American geologic plate.
Downchannel from the volcanic dike in Thingvellir National Park.
A dike (volcanic feeder tube) merging into layered strata in Thingvellir National Park.
Mini stream between banks of eroding basalt in Thingvellir National Park.
Hekla volcano, a stratovolcano located in southern Iceland, is one of the island's most active volcanoes, having erupted more than 20 times since the ninth century A.D. Hekla is 1,491 m (4,892 ft) high and its name is Icelandic for “short hooded cloak,” most likely a reference to the clouds that frequently hang over its summit. In the Middle Ages, the Norse called it the "Gateway to Hell." The volcano is responsible for the creation of more than 10% of the landmass of Iceland over the last 1000 years. Iceland is situated on top of a seismic hotspot, subjecting it to earthquakes and severe volcanic activity.
Pyroclastic rock bombs scattered about a crater in the Hekla Mountain Range.
Descent down Hekla across the snowpack. Hekla is a stratovolcano located in the south of Iceland; it is one of the island&apos;s most active volcanoes, having erupted more than 20 times since the ninth century A.D.
Descent down Hekla across the snowpack. Hekla is an active volcano located in the south of Iceland; it is 1,491 m (4,892 ft) high.
A hauntingly luminous view down the southwest flank of Hekla volcano.
A geyser field and stream runoff.
Laki is a volcanic fissure in the western part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland, not far from the volcanic fissure of Eldgjá and the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The fissure is properly referred to as Lakagígar, while Laki is a mountain that the fissure bisects. Lakagígar is part of a volcanic system centered on the volcano Grímsvötn and including the volcano Thordarhyrna. The system erupted violently over an eight-month period between June 1783 and February 1784 from the Laki fissure and the adjoining volcano Grímsvötn, pouring out an estimated 42 billion tons or 14 cu km (3.4 cu mi) of basalt lava and clouds of poisonous hydrofluoric acid and sulfur dioxide compounds that contaminated the soil, leading to the death of over 50% of Iceland's livestock population, and the destruction of most crops. This devastation led to a famine that killed approximately 25% of the island's human population and resulted in large scale emigration. The Laki eruption and its aftermath caused a drop in global temperatures, as 120 million tons of sulfur dioxide was spewed into the Northern Hemisphere. This caused crop failures in Europe and likely caused droughts in North Africa and India.
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