AAPG Iceland GeoTour
Course Content
We have planned an incredible 6-day adventure to Iceland in the summer of 2019 that is a perfect blend of culture and geology that should appeal to anyone who enjoys traveling. We will start our journey on the Reykjanes Peninsula where we will explore the effects of modern tectonic rifting and take the afternoon to enjoy the world famous Blue Lagoon Spa. Next, we will tour Reykjavik which serves as the cultural and political capital of Iceland. On subsequent days, we will visit the Golden Circle and modern volcanic activity around Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull. At the mid-point of the trip there will be an exciting excursion to the Westmann Islands to see a modern day Santorini and to catch a glimpse of the rare and adorable Puffin birds. The final days of our trip will be spent hiking a glacier, boating across a breathtaking iceberg lagoon, and appreciating the glacial forces at work in southern Iceland.
Some of the highlights will be relaxing in the world famous geothermal Blue Lagoon Spa, visiting the Golden Circle which includes Gullfoss waterfall and Tingvellir cultural site, exploring Reykjavik and its heritage museums, taking a guided hiking tour of an actual glacier, traveling to the Westmann Islands and seeing the Puffins, boating across a glacial lagoon, appreciating vast volcanic landscapes, and sinking toes into the black sand beaches of Vik.
There will be several memorable geological experiences because Iceland is a geologist’s paradise with mountains, glaciers, and volcanoes around just about every turn. If you forced us to name our favorite ones, those would be the crossing between tectonic plates, the glacial hike at Skaftafell and the excursion to the Westmann Islands. We’re confident that every day will boast extremely memorable geological experiences.
Iceland offers some of Earth’s most pristine and exotic landscapes created by tectonic, volcanic, and glacial forces. Almost nowhere else on Earth can you experience all three with such amazing access. Furthermore, we might catch a glimpse of Puffins and possibly even whales while along the southern coast of Iceland.
Iceland was settled by Viking explorers in the late ninth century and then by Norwegians in the early tenth century. We will visit the Viking and Icelandic National Museums that chronicle this amazing history. Perhaps the most stunning cultural experience will be exploring Thingvellir where one of the world’s oldest parliaments convened for almost 900 years. We also believe that spending a day in Reykjavik among its people and shops will be extremely memorable
