The Land of Fire and Ice

This year, the student planned and led trip to Iceland that my peers and myself have planned will take place. I didn’t not expect this to happen at all. I am simply in total shock. Iceland! wow. So i think during that week (in October so its a long time from now), i will be writing up what I’ve learnt on this blog just because i think it’ll be fun. so in celebration of our success i thought it’d be a good idea to give some brief information about Iceland. So this isn’t a very complicated post, just a kind go fact file about the country.

Iceland is probably THE most geologically interesting places on Earth. Made from the splitting of the North American and European plates, the 103,000 km2 country is smack on the Mid-Atlantic ridge. For those who don’t know, characteristics of places that sit close to plate boundaries are extremely active in terms of geology. The best thing about Iceland, is that it is on a Divergent plate boundary, which gives it amazing volcanoes. But these aren’t the dangerous kind, they are mainly the runny lava type, making them safe to be around but also amazing to study. Seismic activity in Iceland is also present, but not so big that it will create major earthquakes that risk the lives of its inhabitants.

As it is still being formed as the plates move further apart, this means new rock is being brought up at a constant steady rate. Of course these rocks are mainly igneous, but they are also fascinating in that they are some of the youngest in the whole world, making Iceland a hub for rock nerds.

Another thing that makes Iceland so special, is that it is right up next to the Arctic circle. So while it is cold year round, it makes the landscape look like a magnificent vast land. Thats where it gets it’s name. “The Land Of Fire And Ice”. Influenced by the North Atlantic Drift, the southern end of Iceland tends to warmer and wetter than its polar North.

So lets talk a little about the flora and fauna. Like in Northern America and Russia, you have your standard animals like the reindeer, arctic foxes. and a range of birds (e.g. puffins and kittiwakes). Animals such as horse and sheep were brought over when people began to colonize Iceland, and over time these ani

mals adapted to the weather and are now known as the Icelandic horse/sheep, making them unique to the country. One of the most important animal kingdoms is that of the fish. Being surrounded by the ocean, Iceland is renowned for its fishing industry with some of the best fish products in the world. Perhaps even more than that, they have a highly successful wool industry due to the large sheep population that is adapted to the colder climate.

As in most tundra regions, very few trees grow in Iceland. It's vegetation mainly consists of smaller shrubs, moss, and other ground plants. But similar to places like Ireland, they excel in growing crops such potatoes and cabbages. As for warmer crops, Iceland has some of the most advanced greenhouses for tomatoes, etc (e.g. Freidheimar)

Okay, well that's it for now. I'll be back with daily blog entries in October. :)

Sabrina.

#iceland #flora #fauna #volcano #divergent