********************************** ACEE Announces Summer Geological Camping Excursions to Iceland From: Jim Reynolds <reynoljh@xxxxxxxxxxx> ********************************** The Appalachian Center for Environmental Education of Brevard College is pleased to announce that it will offer two geological field trips to Iceland during the summer of 2007, according to Director Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert. The trips will be led by Dr. Jim Reynolds, of Brevard College, and Dr. Þráinn Friðriksson, of the Iceland Geological Survey. Reynolds and Friðriksson collaborated on a similar trip in 2004 for the Geological Society of America. The first trip, designed for students only, will take place from July 8-22. The second trip is open to everyone but is designed for K-12 and college educators. It will run from July 24-August 8. Both trips will camp in excellent, well- appointed campgrounds as they circle the island. Approximately 60 km of hikes to classic geological localities will be offered. Iceland holds a particular fascination for geologists because it is the most active part of the mid-ocean ridge rift system where new tectonic plates are formed. The eastern half of the country resides on the Eurasian Plate while the western half is on the North American Plate. The country is almost entirely volcanic and contains examples of every conceivable type of volcano, some of which are unique to Iceland. In addition to volcanism, Iceland is home to the world?s third largest icecap, the Vatnajōkull, which covers several active volcanoes. Numerous valley glaciers descend from the icecap, some of which are easily accessible from the south coast. Some highlights of the trips will be visits to: 1) Þingvellir, the site of the world?s first Parliament, located in the rift zone near Reykjavík; 2) Geysir, the geyser from which all geysers get their name; 3) Gullfoss, a large waterfall cascading into the rift; 4) Mývatn, a large lake in northeastern Iceland near the Arctic Circle; 5) Krafla Caldera, located on the rift and the site of a large eruption from 1975-1984; 6) the fjord country of East Iceland, 7) Vatnajōkull glaciers, including Jōkulsárlón, the iceberg lake; 8) Skaftafell National Park, located between two of the Vatnajōkull glaciers; 9) Landmannalaugar, a picturesque volcanic area with a famous hot spring; 10) Lakigígar, site of the enormous 1783-1784 eruption, the largest in recorded history; and 11) a visit to the Blue Lagoon hot spring. Numerous other sites will also be visited. To find out more information about the trips, please visit https://www2.brevard.edu/reynoljh/fieldtrips.htm. ============================================================== To unsubscribe from the volcano list, send the message: signoff volcano to: listserv@xxxxxxx, or write to: volcano-request@xxxxxxxx To contribute to the volcano list, send your message to: volcano@xxxxxxxx Please do not send attachments. ==============================================================
