June 5 - Pack out of the farmhouse and on the road east to see a few things before doubling back toward Reykjavik. Half way back to Vik is Skógafoss, one of the highest waterfalls of Iceland with a drop of 60 meters. The walk is just a few minutes from the parking lot along the river.
This particular spot is shielded from the wind, though the spray is thick when walking too close to it.
Turn around and go west along Highway 1 to Seljalandsfoss. This one receives the full brunt of wind, so at moments as much water is being blown upwards as falling downwards. It is possible, with some drenching, to get behind the falls.
Many tourists here, much more than we’ve seen in other parts of Iceland. This part of the country is possible to visit as a day trip from Reykjavik, so it may be bus tours that cause the high numbers.
A path north goes along the cliff to a second notable waterfall that descends into a tiny canyon, called Glijufrabui. To reach the base, we have to squeeze along a cleft.
From here head northwest into the interior of the island for the last two big natural sites of interest. The first is Gullfoss (Golden Falls), actually two separate falls next to each other.
This waterfall, on the Hvítá River, is thought to have formed from rapid erosion during an outburst of water built up behind a glacier upstream. The upper falls are 11 meters, while the lower are 22 meters.
It is only 20 minutes from here to Geysir, a field of active geothermal geysers. The word ‘geyser’ derives from this place, adopted after knowledge of the site was disseminated to Europe in the 1500s. A great number of earthquakes and violent steam eruptions were noted in the 1600s, but these days things have calmed down considerably. Predictable eruptions occur from only the Strokker Geyser, at a rate of one in about 5 minutes.
Geysir, the largest geyser on the site, is closed off (perhaps because of the recent volcanic activity by Grindavik). At any rate, its eruptions are rare.
Another 30 minutes south on Highway 35 puts us at Kerid Crater. The weather has improved considerably in the late afternoon for our hike around and down into this crater.
Since we have now completed the geologic sites of Iceland, now is the time to show their relationships on one map:
On the map, the West Volcanic Zone (WVZ) and East Volcanic Zone (EVZ) merge in the center of the island, becoming the North Volcanic Zone (NVZ) more or less where Myvatn is located. The rift also changes direction, from NE-SW to N-S. The Westman Islands off the southern coast (which include Heimaey) are part of the EVZ.
Note the odd position of the Snӕfellsnes Volcanic Zone (SVZ), a region we explored in Day 3 and 4. This area, showing vulcanism up to 3000 years ago, is far west of the rifting plate margin. It is thought to be a zone of weakness caused by the differential in spreading rates between the WVZ/EVZ and NVZ. Hence an area of transcurrent faulting (associated splaying and fracturing of crust near an active tectonic zone).
From Kerid Crater, it is about an hour back to Reykjavik. Strictly speaking, we are not in the city, but in an Airbnb in a district to the east called Kópavogur. Visit the local Bonus, our favorite grocery store, and Debbie cooks up a great meal.