GSA’S FIRST STUDENT-ONLY GEOVENTURE TRIP: ICELAND

During the summer of 2002, the Geological Society of America offered its first student-only Geoventure to promote collegiate geoscience education.  Twenty-six undergraduate and graduate students with diverse backgrounds, from twenty-one colleges and universities, participated on the two-week field trip highlighting the geology of Iceland. For many, it was their first international experience as a geologist.  Dr. James Reynolds of Brevard College led the trip, aided by a student camp manager. 

Iceland provides a unique showcase of Neogene volcanism at a divergent plate boundary and is one of the few places in the world to observe seafloor spreading on land. The group investigated these features in the field at Thingvellir, Laki, Eldgjà, Namafjäll Hverir, and Krafla.  The coincidence of a mantle plume and divergent boundary resulted in vigorous basaltic volcanism for the last seventeen m.y., producing a myriad of volcanic features.  One third of the world’s lava production during the last millennium was “made in Iceland”.  Moreover, many geologic features in Iceland are analogous to those found on Mars and Venus and the trip allowed an up-close opportunity to study geologic processes on other planets.

A chartered bus led the group around the entire island and into the desolate interior several times.  The trip focused on recent volcanic, tectonic, geothermal, and glacial features of the country and involved over 50 km of hiking.  Archetypical volcanic constructs were explored firsthand including the recent eruptions at Krafla, pseudocraters at Skútustaðagígar, the Askjá multi-ring caldera, and the historic fissure eruption of Lakigígar.  The rhyolitic complex at Landmannalauger offered an atypical landscape with bright orange cliffs and a young obsidian flow.  Several days were also spent around the Vatnajökull icecap and its many outlet glaciers.

The trip to Iceland was an once-in-a-lifetime experience and thoroughly enjoyed by all of the participants.