This is the first book describing the glorious geology of Iceland's Golden Circle and four
additional excursions:(1) the beautiful valleys and mountains of the fjord of Hvalfjördur (2)
the unique landscape and geothermal fields of the Hengill Volcano (3) the explosion craters
volcanic fissures and lava fields of the Reykjanes Peninsula and (4) the volcanoes (Hekla
Eyjafjallajökull Katla) waterfalls sandur plains and rock columns of South Iceland. The
Golden Circle offers a unique opportunity to observe and understand many of our planet's forces
in action. These forces move the Earth's tectonic plates rupture the crust and generate
earthquakes volcanic eruptions channels for rivers and waterfalls and heat sources for hot
springs and geysers. The Golden Circle includes the famous rifting and earthquake fracture
sites at Thingvellir the hot springs of the Geysir area the waterfall of Gullfoss and the
Kerid volcanic crater. As the book is primarily intended forpeople with no background in
geosciences no geological knowledge is assumed and technical terms are avoided as far as
possible (those used are explained in a glossary). With more than 240 illustrations - mostly
photographs - explaining geological structures and processes it is also a useful resource for
geoscientists.
