ericas_glacial_geology_diary_may_11_-_16_2013.pdf |
The last five days in Iceland I spent on and in front of glaciers & volcanoes for two of my classes. It was absolutely the most incredible learning experience and most fun I have had I think ever in my life. I hope some of the pictures you can 'feel' Iceland and a little of these last five days.
I wrote a diary ("Dagbok", in Icelandic) for the 2-day field excursion and a field report (with a team) for 3-days working in front of Solheimajokull glacier, which is an 8 km outlet glacier of Myrdalsjokull glacer that caps the dangerous Katla volcano. Solheimajokull is featured in the movie, "Chasing Ice" - our class placed two wires 12 m deep into the glacier that will measure summer melt this year. We visited two outlet glaciers of Eyjafyjatajokull volcano & glacier, which is the one that famously erupted in 2010, stopping air traffic in Europe. While working in front of Solheimajokull glacier, there was a scientist doing her PhD research on drumlins, a landform glaciers make. When I found out she was a Canadian girl from Toronto, that was neat to meet there. Drumlins are all throughout Canada, I sure recognize them from living in Alberta. It was cool to meet another Cdn girl into the same thing! :)
This diary and report I will try to attach to this post, so that you can hopefully learn some amazing stuff. It really is relevant to everyone, because glaciers tell us about our climate and actually regulate our climate, along with volcanoes. There are over 100 volcanoes in Iceland, 25 of which have erupted in recent history. Over 90% of Earth's temperature is over 1000 degrees C, and it is the Earth's thin crust that protects us from its molten temperatures where glaciers and volcanoes co-exist, and where we are able to know life. This interrelationship of volcanoes and glaciers is fascinating to me. When a volcano erupts underneath a glacier, it forms a unique rock called hyaloclastite (called moberg in Iceland), and causes megafloods as a massive flood of water melted and discharged, called jokulhlaups. Interestingly, when I looked up 'hyaloclastite ridges' on the internet, I learned that it is prominent in BC and Iceland. I'm definately going to be looking into this more, as Canada was covered in an ice sheet and BC has many volcanoes so it makes sense. Hope you enjoy the photos and diary & report if you like :)
On my last nite, about 1:00 am I went for a walk by myself outside of our hotel which is just under Katla volcano & near the beach. It was still quite light out, because of Iceland's latitude. I could hear sheep and baby lambs and all kinds of night sounds of insects; the still air and beautiful silouhette of Katla, its wonder & power - I had a few tears because this place is so moving and I would be on a plane in less than 48 hrs saying g'bye. In all, it is nice to be moved by nature & life in this way, though. I feel like I'm really living and breathing who I really am. Wow. too cool.
I wrote a diary ("Dagbok", in Icelandic) for the 2-day field excursion and a field report (with a team) for 3-days working in front of Solheimajokull glacier, which is an 8 km outlet glacier of Myrdalsjokull glacer that caps the dangerous Katla volcano. Solheimajokull is featured in the movie, "Chasing Ice" - our class placed two wires 12 m deep into the glacier that will measure summer melt this year. We visited two outlet glaciers of Eyjafyjatajokull volcano & glacier, which is the one that famously erupted in 2010, stopping air traffic in Europe. While working in front of Solheimajokull glacier, there was a scientist doing her PhD research on drumlins, a landform glaciers make. When I found out she was a Canadian girl from Toronto, that was neat to meet there. Drumlins are all throughout Canada, I sure recognize them from living in Alberta. It was cool to meet another Cdn girl into the same thing! :)
This diary and report I will try to attach to this post, so that you can hopefully learn some amazing stuff. It really is relevant to everyone, because glaciers tell us about our climate and actually regulate our climate, along with volcanoes. There are over 100 volcanoes in Iceland, 25 of which have erupted in recent history. Over 90% of Earth's temperature is over 1000 degrees C, and it is the Earth's thin crust that protects us from its molten temperatures where glaciers and volcanoes co-exist, and where we are able to know life. This interrelationship of volcanoes and glaciers is fascinating to me. When a volcano erupts underneath a glacier, it forms a unique rock called hyaloclastite (called moberg in Iceland), and causes megafloods as a massive flood of water melted and discharged, called jokulhlaups. Interestingly, when I looked up 'hyaloclastite ridges' on the internet, I learned that it is prominent in BC and Iceland. I'm definately going to be looking into this more, as Canada was covered in an ice sheet and BC has many volcanoes so it makes sense. Hope you enjoy the photos and diary & report if you like :)
On my last nite, about 1:00 am I went for a walk by myself outside of our hotel which is just under Katla volcano & near the beach. It was still quite light out, because of Iceland's latitude. I could hear sheep and baby lambs and all kinds of night sounds of insects; the still air and beautiful silouhette of Katla, its wonder & power - I had a few tears because this place is so moving and I would be on a plane in less than 48 hrs saying g'bye. In all, it is nice to be moved by nature & life in this way, though. I feel like I'm really living and breathing who I really am. Wow. too cool.