Today was another beautiful day in Iceland! After a great morning in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, we hopped on a bus towards Jökulsárlón. This is a breathtaking lake created by a glacier that feeds right into the ocean.
I even found a friend to join me for the rest of the trip! Jaeja is a brave little seal pup who’s really curious about both how geothermal powerplants work and underperforming baseball teams. Once I told him we’ll be stopping at the Hellisheiði power plant and I’ll be heading back to Pittsburgh in a few days, he was hooked! Here’s Jaeja sitting on a basalt column formed by lava flows thousands of years ago:
We also got to take a look at another waterfall, this time Svartifoss! After a nice hike up the hill, we laid eyes on a thin waterfall with an incredible basalt backdrop. How do these basalt columns form? Fluid mechanics of course! As the lava cools, it contracts and develops stresses that crack the basalt and create these beautiful views.
Lastly, before heading back to the hotel we stopped at a giant steel beam. This used to be a part of a road bridge before it was wiped out by flood waters. How big were those flood waters you might ask? Well enough to bend a massive I-beam 90 degrees… that’s a lot of gigapascals!
Tomorrow we head back east to Reykjavik, making a stop at the Hellisheiði power plant. The skies are looking pretty clear tonight so maybe the northern lights will make an appearance! All in all it’s been an incredible time here in Iceland- one that I don’t want to end. From Josh and Jaeja, we will see you tomorrow!
Swanson School of Engineering 