Exploring Iceland: Seismic, volcanic, fantastic

REYKJAVIK, Iceland - Hardened lava crunches under your boots. Pungent sulphur fumes shroud the bizarre black landscape. Warm, sometimes scalding steam rises from fissures in the igneous rock. Here at the foot of Fagradalsfjall volcano in southern Iceland, lava streamed through Geldingadalir valley less than three years ago.

Most tourists venture only on a narrow path through mossy hills from the carpark to the lava field's edge. But if you set out on one of the various trails or onto the lava field itself to the latest eruption fissures, you enter terrain suggestive of Mordor in Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings."

It resembles a petrified black river, rutted and porous in places and smooth as glass in others. Sometimes it shimmers blue, then rust red or matt as coal. It's a surreal place, and the further in you go, the bleaker and stiller it becomes until all you can hear is the icy wind.

Fagradalsfjall is part of a wider volcanic system comprising several craters, small mountains and occasionally magma-spewing tectonic fissures on Reykjanes Peninsula, about 40 kilometers from Reykjavík, Iceland's capital.

Iceland is Europe's largest and most active volcanic region, with more than 32 active systems. Many may remember the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull volcano between March and June 2010, enormous ash plumes from which seriously disrupted air travel across Western Europe.

The volcanism is due to Iceland's location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly drifting apart. It's only about 25 millimeters a year, roughly the amount a human fingernail grows in that time, but the rift constantly causes magma to rise from the deep.

"It's a motorway of sorts for magma movements," says Matthew Roberts, managing director of the Icelandic Meteorological Office's (IMO) service and research division.

This is the reason for periodic seismic and volcanic activity in Iceland. The last volcanic cycle was about 800 years ago, but "the magma began expanding again in 2021," Roberts says. "We've already had 12 eruptions since then."

Fortunately for tourists, the recent spate of so-called fissure eruptions on Reykjanes aren't powerful explosions with huge expulsions of ash from a central cone. Rather, the lava flows slowly out of long cracks in the Earth's crust and can be observed relatively safely from a short distance away.

Incidentally, if an eruption doesn't occur when you're in Iceland, you can always see an interesting lava show in Reykjavik or Vik, a seafront village in southern Iceland. There, in specially built showrooms, volcanic eruptions are simulated using real lava.

Along with old crater lakes such as Kerith, southwest Iceland boasts Haukadalur Valley with its hot springs and geysers, most notably Strokkur, which every four to 10 minutes shoots boiling water 15 to 20 meters into the air, and sometimes up to 40. Nearby is the currently inactive Great Geysir, from which the word "geyser" derives.

Strokkur is one of the three iconic highlights on the Golden Circle one-day tourist route, the others being the tectonic rift at Thingvellir National Park and the powerful Gullfoss waterfall. Another popular attraction is the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa known for its blue, mineral-rich waters and located in a lava field.

If you prefer to enjoy Iceland's hot springs with fewer people around, head to Reykjadalur - "Steam Valley" - best known for the heated river that runs through it. In summer, the smell of sulphur mingles with the scent of grasses and other flora, particularly lupins. Steaming vents and bubbling springs are everywhere, and the hilly, green landscape offers vistas of gorges with waterfalls.

About 100 kilometers away along Route 1, or Ring Road which encircles the island, you can take in the spectacular waterfall Seljalandsfoss. There's a spray-soaked walking path and small cave behind the cascading water, which drops 60 meters.

A few hundred meters to the north is a smaller waterfall: Gljúfrabúi, partially obscured by cliff rock. There are two more waterfalls about 30 kilometers to the east and also close to Route 1: Skógafoss, with a height of 60 meters and width of 25, and Kvernufoss, which you can walk behind and is half-hidden in a gorge.

About 300 kilometers farther east lie the stunning landscapes of the nature reserve Skaftafell, part of Vatnajökull National Park, one of Iceland's three national parks. Covering roughly 7,900 square kilometers, or about 8% of the country, Vatnajökull is the second-largest glacier in Europe outside the Arctic.

Situated in the southern part of the park, Skaftafell rivets the eye with glacial tongues, ice caves, waterfalls, lush valleys, glacial streams and outwash plains, black hills of lava sand, moraine fields, mountain peaks and Öræfajökull, Iceland's highest active volcano.

It's great for hiking - there are trails for every skill level - as well as ice cave tours and ATV quad biking adventures. As the terrain is rugged and the weather can change quickly, even in summer you should dress in layers with waterproof and windproof clothing, sturdy hiking boots, a hat and gloves.

Iceland's dramatic, sometimes otherworldly scenery make it a popular movie location. The jagged blue ice and deep crevasses of Svínafellsjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull near Skaftafell, were used to film the ice planet in "Interstellar," Tibetan training scenes in "Batman Begins" and scenes in "Game of Thrones," for instance.

Jökulsárlón, a glacial lagoon bordering Vatnajökull National Park and an attractive place for both boat tours and seals, was used to depict Siberia in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." Its blue waters are dotted with icebergs from Breithamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull.

Smaller and less frequented, but equally impressive, are the glacier lagoons Fjallsárlón and Heinabergslón in the eastern part of the park. Kayaking among the icebergs in Heinabergslón is an experience not to be missed.

Another quintessentially Icelandic experience is an ice climbing tour. A good choice for beginners is Sólheimajökull, an outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull in Katla Geopark, southwest of Vatnajökull. So put on the crampons and up you go!

And when, exhausted and exhilarated at the end of your day in Iceland, you relax at your lodging with a warmer-upper, be sure to scan the sky for the Northern Lights.

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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 1:29 AM.