geothermal Archives

Shades of Blue

From 2015, a highlight of the Myvatn region with a vista of stunning blue waters.

Welcome back to Iceland! This time, I’m taking you back to my trip in 2015, when I spent just four days in this lovely country. Clearly not long enough, but I made good use of this stopover on my return from the Netherlands. As a matter of course, I tend to prefer the less touristy locations in any country. I find that it’s much more enjoyable to not have to hurry from location to location. It’s great to kick back and breathe in the scenery and get a sense of the overall atmosphere.

Here’s one of my wonderful encounters from that visit…

This location is in the Myvatn region just before one gets to the fumaroles in Hverir (cf. Otherworldly post). It is stunning to see the shades of blue in the water that are the result of the silica deposits.

In reworking this capture, I have taken a much subtler approach than I did in a previous treatment. You can see the older image by going back to my 2019 Myvatn Geothermal Area post.

I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on the rather different treatments.

Fumaroles of Hverir

A teaser of the Hverir geothermal area.

There are some locations that you want to visit more than once; whether it is the beauty of the colors, the raw power of the water, or the otherworldliness, there is just something that pulls you back in. For me, the Myvatn region in northern Iceland has that hold over me. I have been there twice thus far and want to go back to explore much, much more!

One of the key attractions is the Hverir geothermal area, which is located just off the Ring Road…

There is a definite sense of being on an alien planet, when you get up close to these fumaroles and take in the influence that sulfur has had on this landscape. Between the sounds, the sights and the smell, I could think of what makes people think of locales, such as Hell; one can imagine that demon’s breath is being spewed forth from the very ground upon which we walk!

I’ll leave you with this teaser, as I’ll do several posts about some of the views that were available in this region! More to come!

Icelandic Wonders – Myvatn Geothermal Area

Shades of blue

Iceland is a place filled with wonders of geology, as it sits at the intersection of several tectonic plates; its volcanic landscape and mixture of fire and ice make for stunning landscape photography.

One of the side effects of this location is the level of geothermal activity that provides energy for much of the country. From famous bathing areas, such as the Blue Lagoon in southern Iceland to this stunning blue lake in the north…

There are geothermal baths in the Myvatn Geothermal Region, but these are not them (as a matter of fact, just off-camera there is a sign warning of the extreme heat in this lake). In the distance, you can see the pipe crossing the landscape and see where the heat is collected for use by residents.

The stunning blue color of the lake is the result of silica deposits, which forms a soft blue mud and provides this stunning hue.

I will post more images from this area, as I continue processing them.