The land of ice and fire - part II

The golden circle

There are various interesting geological formations close to the capital city, which were created due to the volcanic origin of the island of Iceland. These attractions can be visited on a round trip that is called the Golden Circle.

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The Kerid Crater, view from above, standing on the rim.

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From west to east: Reykjavík I Thingvellir I Kerid I Secret Lagoon I Geysir I Gullfoss I Panorama Glass Lodge

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The Kerid Crater was formed around 6'500 years ago. It is oval, about 270 meter long and 170 meter wide. It used to be a volcano. Towards the end of an eruption the magma chamber in the earth was emptied which resulted in a collapse and a land slide. The crater was filled with water, which represents the level of the ground water.

The Thingvellir National Park has great geological, historical, and cultural significance. Its name means "Assembly Plains" because the parliament of Iceland, the Althingi, was founded here as early as 930 AD. It is considered the nation's birthplace.

Betti is walking here in the rift valley which lies between the North-American and the Eurasian continental plates. The lava fields here are torn apart by tectonic forces, creating gorges and fissures. The path is bordered by stunning walls of basalt rocks.

The Mid-Atlantic ridge cuts Iceland into two parts, drifting away from each other at a rate of 2 cm per year.

The Geysir geothermal area. Geothermal areas in Iceland are divided into high and low temperature areas. The high temperature areas are within the volcanic zone, the low temperature ones outside. Temperatures of the hot springs can reach up to 100 degrees. The Strokkur geysir erupts regularly at every 8-10 minutes.

The Gullfoss waterfall and the secret lagoon hot spring were the last destinations of our golden circle. Having a hot bath at the lagoon was a perfect experience to call it a day.

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The panorama glass lodge in the middle of nowhere.