Today we went to see these stunning basalt cliffs after leaving our hotel. The basalt was able to cool in the proper conditions to create the hexagonal pattern but due to the differences in hardness the ocean was able to erode away and create the impressive tunnels through the mountain. Also along the area we were able to find pieces of obsidian and pumice. Both obsidian and pumice are formed through rapid cooling but the obsidian from flash cooling by water and the pumice by being shot in the air during an eruption.
After this we were able to tour the ON geothermal plant that heats and powers the city of Reykjavik. At the power plant we listened to a presentation on how they harness the heat given from the volcano and take the wastes (H2S and CO2) from the process and pump them back into the ground. After this over time it crystallizes into calcite and pyrite respectively and makes it so the pollutants aren’t released to the atmosphere.
We then went back to downtown Reykjavik to a gastropub where my peers tried foods like fried puffin and horse tartar. They all seemed to like it a lot! At the end, they brought out a birthday dessert for me and one of the other girls (my birthday was day 2!). All in all, a great day!
Swanson School of Engineering 