Iceland- the South and Southeast

At Gullfoss the river Hvítá descends from the highlands. The river has eroded away the sedimentary layers whereas the interspersed lava flows have withstood better and form the steps over which the water falls. Hvítágljúfur gorge I have replaced the panorama with a new version where I have closed a few "holes" by cloning. Made from 16 vertical shots in two rows. Canon EOS 6D, 24-105/4,0: F/8, 1/200, ISO 125

Angelica archangelica seedheads at Gullfoss Echte Engelwurz vor dem Gullfoss

Strokkur geyser erupts about every 10 minutes to a height of ca. 20m (see inset clickable photo). It lies in an area of silica sinter deposit in Haukadalur geothermal field, the remnant of Geysir volcanic system which consists of a basaltic central volcano and rhyolitic lava domes on the southern end of Langjökull fissure swarm. The big Geysir (which gave all geyers its name) is nearby and has erupted twice already this year after a long dormancy- it seems things are hotting up;-)

Strokkur geyser erupts regularly every few minutes. It lies in Haukadalur geothermal area on the southern end of the Langjökull fissure swarm. The big Geysir lies dormant nearby. The area has been experiencing repeated quake swarms and is expected to become volcanically more active with potential eruptions in Langjökull in the coming years/ decades.

One of the many hot springs at Þykkvuhverir in the geothermal field of Geysir.

Seyðishólar are part of Grimsnes volcanic system which is only 5000-6000 years old and Iceland's youngest ( the better known crater Kerið is also part of Grimsnes). Seyðishólar have long been used as a quarry, the red colour is a sign of high iron content. In the heavy rain the colour of the stones was even more intense.

HFF everybody, forget about upload troubles and enjoy the weekend!

Hekla (1491m) is one of Iceland's most well known volcanoes and an unusual combination of fissure and stratovolcano. Viewed head on it has the perfect stratovolcano shape but from the side as in the photo it resembles an upturned boat. When Hekla erupts a several km long fire spewing fissure (Heklugjá) opens along the top. This and the fact that it erupts often and violently (once a man at 45km distance was killed by a lava bomb!) may have contributed to the medieval belief that Hekla is the gateway to hell. The note shows Hekla across Þjórsá river, shot from the moving bus and therefore not quite sharp at full size. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hekla Hekla ist einer von Islands bekanntesten Vulkanen. Sie ist eine Mischung aus Spalten- und Stratovulkan: von vorne hat sie die klassische Vulkanform, von der Seite wie hier ähnelt sie einem umgedrehten Boot. Wenn Hekla ausbricht, öffnet sich am "Kiel" eine mehrere km lange Spalte (Heklugjá), aus der Feuerfontänen schiessen. Dies und die Tatsache, dass sie häufig und heftig ausbricht, haben im Mittelalter dazu geführt, dass man glaubte, Hekla sei das Tor zur Hölle. Asche-/Tephraschichten der Hekla finden sich noch in weiter Entfernung und eine Lavabombe erschlug einmal einen 45km entfernten Bauern. Das PiP, Hekla vom Þjórsá-Fluss aus gesehen, ist aus dem fahrenden Bus und deshalb in voller Größe nicht optimal. icelandictimes.com/de/hekla-the-gateway-to-hell

Markarfljót valley and western side of Eyjafjallajökull seen from the Ring Road. Stóra Dímon is the rock in the middle.

Cliffs of the former coastline at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull. The top of hidden waterfall Gljúfrabúi is just visible behind the troll. Die Klippen der früheren Küstenlinie unterhalb des Eyjafjallajökull. Der obere Teil des verborgenen Wasserfalls Gljúfrabúi ist gerade noch hinter dem Troll sichtbar.

Gljúfrabúi, the hidden waterfall, is just a short walk from better known Seljalandsfoss. Lying under Eyjafjallajökull volcano, it is 40m high and mostly hidden by palagonite rocks in front of it. Getting a nearer view involves scrambling up the rocks or wading the river, both can be hazardous. Vertical panorama stitched from 6 photos.Inset a detail and the falls seen from a distance. www.katlageopark.com/geosites/seljalandsfoss-gljufrabui stuckiniceland.com/south-iceland/the-hidden-beauty-of-gljufrabui Gljúfrabúi, der vesteckte Wasserfall, ist einen kurzen Spaziergang vom bekannteren Seljalandsfoss entfernt. Er ist 40 m hoch, liegt unterhalb des Eylafjallajökull und ist weitestgehend von Palagonitfelsen verdeckt. Näher heran kommt man nur, wenn man entweder den Felsen hochklettert oder den Fluss durchwatet, beides nicht ganz ungefährlich. Vertikalpano aus 6 Aufnahmen, im PiP ein Detail und eine Gesamtaufnahme aus der Entfernung.

Seljalandsfoss lies at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull and drops 60m over the former coastline. One can walk behind the waterfall but depending on the wind direction you can get rather wet.

I didn't fancy queueing up to go behind the waterfall this year and was rewarded wih a rainbow. In the note a 2016 photo from behind the veil, the parking lot spoils the view.

Þorvaldseyri was one of the farms hit hardest by ashfall. At the new visitor centre a video of the eruption is shown.

Skógafoss is a 15m wide and 62m high waterfall where the Skógá river tumbles down the cliffs of the former coastline. It lies in Katla geopark between Eyafjallajökull and Katla volcanoes. Also see inset photos. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sk%C3%B3gafoss www.katlageopark.com/geosites/skogarfoss Skógafoss ist ein 15m breiter und 62m hoher Wasserfall des Flusses Skógá, der hier über die Klippen der eiszeitlichen Küstenlinie fällt. Skógafoss liegt zwischen den Vulkanen Eyfjallajökull im Westen und Katla im Osten und ist Teil des Katla Geoparks.

Mýrdalsjökull and outlet glacier Sólheimajökull seen from the ring road. Because of an unusually high level of seismic unrest in Katla caldera the aviation colour code was raised to yellow and civil protection declared a state of uncertainty. For the moment the activity has gone down again but the volcano continues to be monitored closely. futurevolc.vedur.is/?volcano=KAT Mýrdalsjökull und Auslassgletscher Sólheimajökull von der Ringstrasse. Wegen eines ungewöhnlich starken seismischen Schwarms wurde die Warnstufe für den Flugverkehr auf Gelb gesetzt und der Katastrophenschutz hat einen Status erhöhter Wachsamkeit ausgerufen. Momentan ist die Aktivität wieder zurückgegangen, aber der Vulkan wird weiterhin engmaschig überwacht. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katla

Puffins (fratercula arctica) breed in large colonies, building their burrows near cliff tops. Very few of the puffins at Dyrhólaey laid eggs in 2014 due to lack of sandeels to feed their young (a consequence of global warming) . The colonies on Vestmannaeyjar are also threatened whereas colonies in the north are still thriving.

Cape Dyrhólaey is a former submarine volcano. The eroded tuff cone is topped by pahoehoe lava flows.