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Krýsuvík Volcanic System
''For the volcanic landforms around Krýsuvík, see also: Krýsuvík (volcanic system)'' Krýsuvík (also Krísuvík, both pronounced in Icelandic) is an area in Southwest Iceland at about 35 km from Reykjavík. Geography and access It is situated on the Reykjanes peninsula between Þorlákshöfn and Grindavík and accessed by Routes 42 and 427. Name The name Krýsuvík means "bay of Krýsa," a folk tale figure from the area. ''Krýsa'' was an old woman who, together with her cousin ''Herdís,'' could use witchcraft. They had a discussion about the borders of their respective lands; one wanted to cast a spell so that all the fish in a nearby lake would be hairy, the other intended to bring up a storm and let all fishermen die. The dispute ended with the death of both of them. The folk tale says that they were buried side by side, and the place of the graves is still known to locals. The ''Ögmundarhraun'' lava flows which were emitted by the nearby Krýsuvík volcan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fratercula Arctica09(js)
Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. Two species, the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in the North Pacific Ocean, while the Atlantic puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean. All puffin species have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks that get brightly colored during the breeding season. They shed the colorful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique underwater. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute) in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface. Etymology The English name "puffin" – puffed in the sense of swoll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Fulmar
The northern fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialis''), fulmar, or Arctic fulmar is a highly abundant seabird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. There has been one confirmed sighting in the Southern Hemisphere, with a single bird seen south of New Zealand. Fulmars come in one of two color morphs: a light one, with white head and body and gray wings and tail, and a dark one, which is uniformly gray. Though similar in appearance to gulls, fulmars are in fact members of the family Procellariidae, which include petrels and shearwaters. The northern fulmar and its sister species, the southern fulmar (), are the extant members of the genus . The fulmars are in turn a member of the order Procellariiformes, and they all share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns; however, nostrils on albatrosses are on the sides of the bill, as opposed to the rest of the order, includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic puffin ('), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin is found in the northeastern Pacific. The Atlantic puffin breeds in Russia, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and the Faroe Islands, and as far south as Maine in the west and France in the east. It is most commonly found in the Westman Islands, Iceland. Although it has a large population and a wide range, the species has declined rapidly, at least in parts of its range, resulting in it being rated as vulnerable by the IUCN. On land, it has the typical upright stance of an auk. At sea, it swims on the surface and feeds on small fish and crabs, which it catches by diving underwater, using its wings for propulsion. This puffin has a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches, and a white body and underparts. Its broad, bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arctic Tern
The Arctic tern (''Sterna paradisaea'') is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far south as Massachusetts). The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates along a convoluted route from its northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast for the southern summer and back again about six months later. Recent studies have shown average annual round-trip lengths of about for birds nesting in Iceland and Greenland and about for birds nesting in the Netherlands. These are by far the longest migrations known in the animal kingdom. The Arctic tern nests once every one to three years (depending on its mating cycle). Arctic terns are medium-sized birds. They have a length of and a wingspan of . They are mainly grey and white plumaged, with a red/orange beak and feet, white forehead, a bla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird Cliff
Bird cliffs, or nesting cliffs, are steep cliffs with numerous small shelves which serve as nesting locations for bird colonies. Bird cliffs are found on islands in the North Atlantic and Arctic, such as the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the Svalbard archipelago and on islands off Northern Norway. Among species that nest in large numbers on bird cliffs are common murre, thick-billed murre, razorbill, kittiwake, little auk and Atlantic puffin. The number of breeding couples may exhibit large variations depending on available food. Bird cliffs have often been exploited as a food resource by the local population, as well as being used by hunters and egg collectors. Gallery File:Dreizehenmoewen.jpg, Kittiwakes on a bird cliff at the island of Runde. File:Uria lomvia 2.jpg, Colony of thick-billed murre at bird cliff of Stappen, Bear Island. File:Iceland2008-Latrabjarg.bird.cliff.JPG, Látrabjarg bird cliff, Iceland. File:Fleygamenn Trongisvágur.jpg, Bird hunters at the Faroe Islands ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torfajökull Volcanic System
Torfajökull ( Icelandic for "Torfi's glacier"; ) is a rhyolitic stratovolcano, caldera ( central volcano) and complex of subglacial volcanoes, located north of Mýrdalsjökull and south of Þórisvatn Lake, Iceland. Torfajökull last erupted in 1477 and consists of the largest area of silicic extrusive rocks in Iceland. The volcano's eruption around 870, a combined bimodal eruption (rhyolite-basalt) with additional engagement of the Bárðarbunga-Veiðivötn volcanic system, has left a thin layer of easily recognized mixed tephra all over Iceland ( Landnámslag). This layer makes it possible to determine the exact dates of many archeological finds by so called tephrochronology, like in the Reykjavík 871±2 museum. Naming According to legend, the glacier is named for Torfi Jónsson í Klofa, an Icelandic historical figure. When the plague arrived in Iceland in 1493, Torfi fled with his family and his belongings into the highlands and settled in a valley surrounded by the gla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bimodal Volcanism
Bimodal volcanism is the eruption of both mafic and felsic lavas from a single volcanic centre with little or no lavas of intermediate composition. This type of volcanism is normally associated with areas of extensional tectonics, particularly rifts. Occurrence Most occurrences of bimodal volcanism are associated with thinning of the crust and the presence of such rocks in metamorphic sequences has been used to provide evidence for past rifting events. Most examples come from areas of active continental rifting such as the Basin and Range Province. Bimodal volcanism has also been described from areas of transtension, the early phases of back-arc basin formation and in the products of both continental and oceanic hotspots (e.g. Yellowstone, Anahim and the Canary Islands). Mechanism of formation Bimodal volcanism is normally explained as a result of partial melting of the crust, creating granitic magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all ign ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tephrochronology
250px, Tephra horizons in south-central Iceland. The thick and light coloured layer at the height of the volcanologist's hands is rhyolitic tephra from Hekla. Tephrochronology is a Geochronology, geochronological technique that uses discrete layers of tephra—volcanic ash from a single eruption—to create a chronological framework in which paleoenvironmental or archaeological records can be placed. Such an established event provides a "tephra horizon". The premise of the technique is that each volcanic event produces ash with a unique chemical "fingerprint" that allows the deposit to be identified across the area affected by fallout. Thus, once the volcanic event has been independently dated, the tephra horizon will act as time marker. The main advantages of the technique are that the volcanic ash layers can be relatively easily identified in many sediments and that the tephra layers are deposited relatively instantaneously over a wide spatial area. This means they ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ingólfr Arnarson
Ingólfr Arnarson, in some sources named Bjǫrnólfsson, ( – ) is commonly recognized as the first permanent Norse settler of Iceland, together with his wife and foster brother Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson. According to tradition, they settled in Reykjavík in 874. Biography Ingólfr Arnarson was from the valley of Rivedal in Sunnfjord in western Norway. According to the Icelandic Book of Settlements, he built his homestead in and gave name to Reykjavík in 874. However, archaeological finds in Iceland suggest settlement may have started somewhat earlier. The medieval chronicler Ari Þorgilsson said Ingólfr was the first Nordic settler in Iceland, but mentioned that Irish monks had been in the country before the Norsemen. He wrote that they left because they did not want to live among the newly arrived Norse pagans. The Book of Settlements (written two to three centuries after the settlement) contains a story about Ingólfr's arrival. The book claims he left Norway afte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kīpuka
A kīpuka is an area of land surrounded by one or more younger lava flows. A kīpuka forms when lava flows on either side of a hill, ridge, or older lava dome as it moves downslope or spreads from its source. Older and more weathered than their surroundings, kīpukas often appear to be like islands within a sea of lava flows. They are often covered with soil and late ecological successional vegetation that provide visual contrast as well as habitat for animals in an otherwise inhospitable environment. In volcanic landscapes, kīpukas play an important role as biological reservoirs or refugia for plants and animals, from which the covered land can be recolonized. Etymology Kīpuka, along with '' aā'' and '' pāhoehoe'', are Hawaiian words related to volcanology that have entered the lexicon of geology. Descriptive proverbs and poetical sayings in Hawaiian oral tradition also use the word, in an allusive sense, to mean a place where life or culture endures, regardless of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_on_water.jpg "Click for more on -> Northern Fulmar")
_head.jpg "Click for more on -> Atlantic Puffin")
