In the chapter “Iceland: Glaciers and Volcanoes in the North Atlantic” of W. Brian Whalley work, Iceland’s geography, specifically its glaciers and volcanoes is discussed.
Iceland is located between Greenland and Norway, and sits on the North Atlantic Ridge. In the late 1780s one of the worst Laki fissure eruptions occurred. Not only did lava erupt, but also tephra, which caused bits and pieces to break off to the British Isles. This emitted gas caused crops, animals, and many people to die.
Most of Iceland’s rock type is both igneous and sedimentary. The most common type of igneous rock found in Iceland is basalt. In fact, it makes up 90% of the rock type. There are also different types of volcanoes found: central and shield. Central volcanoes are found below a pile of lava of flood eruptions and shield volcanoes are built from flood basalts. An example of a shield volcano is Skjaldbreidur, which is near the largest lake called Thingvallavatn. This lake is 1,060 meters and 800 meters above the nearby lavafields and
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One famous explosive crater is Graenavatn. Not only does Iceland have explosive craters, but also special geomorphic volcano type called Móberg, which means “brown rock.” The Móberg Mountains are not volcanically active anymore, but they are flat topped and steep.
Jokulhlaups refers to ice being melted and the water produced goes to the base of the glacier until pressure is exerted. This process continues until all of the water has escaped. Another glacial term is hlaup, which means glaciers producing a mini-surge before the main event, furthermore, high sliding activity. The two most famous Jokulhlaups are Vatnajokull and Myrdalsjokull.
A mountainous area north of Iceland in Akureyri is called Trollaskagi. There are a few peaks and glaciers, but mainly a lava pile plateau. The glaciers, however, are what eroded away this mountain