Oct. 5, 2014 - Iceland - Water

The geology that produces volcanos in Iceland also makes the country one of the best places in the world to use geothermal energy. Underground reservoirs of water are continuously replenished by rainfall and glacier melting. Very hot magma from the earth’s core is relatively close to the surface in Iceland so this underground water is very hot, from 350 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Across Iceland, steam can be seen rising from cracks in the earth as in this photo taken in the Lake Mývatn area, in north central Iceland.

GeothermalActivityLakeMývatnAreaIceland20140519

Almost all homes and other buildings in Iceland are heated without burning fossil fuels. Five major geothermal plants are located around the country. They drill down as far as 3000 feet to tap into the steam and hot water located underground. One of the geothermal plants is located near Grindavik in southwestern Iceland. Steam is used to turn large turbines, producing electricity. It’s then run through a heat exchanger producing hot water that is pumped to homes and other buildings to heat them. By this time, the steam has changed to water which is then cool enough (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit) to be pumped into the famous Blue Lagoon. People come here to soak in this water which is said to have special properties that enhance the skin.

BlueLagoonoverviewGrindavikIceland20140511

Geothermal plants produce about 30% of Iceland’s electricity. The rest is produced by dams on rivers and streams. This mountain stream was photographed near Reykjavik.

MountainStreamnearReykjavikIceland20140521

Another water feature in Iceland is the Strokkur Geyser, located near Reykjavik. It erupts on a pretty regular schedule and I was able to get a photo of the eruption. I might have even captured a few of the members of our tour group in this photo.

StrokkurGeysernearReykjavíkIceland20140521

Iceland has many spectacular waterfalls. This is the Skogarfoss Waterfall, located in southern Iceland. It is one of their biggest waterfalls and has a width of 82 feet and a drop of 200 feet.

SkogarfossWaterfallVikIceland20140525

The Goðafoss waterfall is located in the Mývatn district, in north central Iceland. The name means Waterfall of the Gods. It’s about 36 feet tall and 90 feet wide.

WaterfallGoðafossMývatndistrictIceland20140518

One of the stops on the Golden Circle, a popular day tour for tourists out of Reykjavik, is the Gullfoss waterfall. The Hvítá River flows over a three-step “staircase” to form this impressive waterfall.

WaterfallGullfossIceland20140521