“I’ve always loved traveling,” says Randolph-Macon College student Hallie Lauder ’22. “The fact that I could combine traveling with a subject I’m really interested in was perfect.”

Lauder is talking about a trip that she, six fellow students, and RMC Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies Michael Fenster took to Iceland. In conjunction with Fenster’s summer travel course, The Geology of Iceland, travelers explored this large island on the Arctic Circle, where they studied volcanoes, glaciers, black sand and boulder beaches, and landscape features produced by the interaction of fire, ice, and the ocean.

Raw Beauty, Geologic Forces
“The raw beauty of Iceland is unlike any other place in the world and we had daylight 24/7 for 10 days to observe it and relish in it,” says Fenster, the Stephen H. Watts Professor of Science. “The rugged landscape makes the geology pop out, and the crazy things that happen when lava, ice and ocean waters interact is incredible to observe. I very much wanted to share the magnificence of these geologic forces, the consequences of them and how people have learned to survive and thrive with them, with my students. There are not enough lab days in a lifetime to equal what we learned about the splendor of Mother Nature in those 10 days.”

Highlights
Travelers examined how humans have survived in Iceland’s harsh geologic environment and learned about the rich history and culture of this Nordic country. Students also evaluated the impact of humans on the environment by investigating contemporary geologic environmental issues such as climate change, soil erosion, extreme events like flooding, and renewable energy (geothermal).

The travel course was filled with highlights: exotic foods (leg of lamb, shark and fish fermented by burial); a three-hour guided hike on the Sólheimajökull glacier; fantastic hikes; huge waterfalls; and boat rides into sea caves and around icebergs in a glacial lagoon.

“With our guide, we drove up volcanoes and through rivers,”says Fenster. “During our trip through the Highlands, I counted 19 stream crossings with our 4-wheel drive vehicle. We also hiked to the summit of the volcano Eldfell on the island of Heimaey (‘Home Island’), with gorgeous views of Iceland and the Eyjafjallajökull glacier across the blue-green Atlantic Ocean.”

Breathtaking Views + Blue Lagoon
Lauder, an international relations and sociology/anthropology major and German minor, describes Iceland as “breathtaking. The scenery is gorgeous, and the landscape is beautiful. It was amazing see the ocean, active volcanoes, and plate tectonics.” 

At the Blue Lagoon—a geothermal spa and one of the most visited attractions in Iceland—Lauder and her fellow travelers soaked in the warm, milky-blue water. The water is high in silica content, which forms soft white mud on the bottom of the lake. “I’d always wanted to go there,” says Lauder. “The water was warm, the air was chilly, and we put silica mud on our faces!”

Benjamin Woodfin ’20, an environmental studies major and ethics minor, says, “Iceland is a geologically phenomenal place—one-of-a-kind. As soon as you land, you can’t take your eyes off the landscape.” He especially enjoyed trekking through the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar in Icelandic and known as the “Pompeii of the North”).

“We hiked up the Eldfell Volcano and had to just sit down and take it all in,” says Woodfin, who will never forget seeing thousands of Atlantic Puffins—brightly-beaked birds with orange legs that are indigenous to Iceland. “Seeing these beautiful birds was incredible,” he says.

A Life-changing Experience
This was Fenster’s fourth time to travel to Iceland with students.

“We saw the most fantastic geologic features, like the Earth’s crust splitting before our eyes, beaches made of huge boulders, massive ice-capped volcanoes and the deep-blue ice of the glaciers,” he says. “We also drank pure, 10,000-year-old water straight from the streams. The camaraderie of the group was incredible, and the experiences we shared and things we learned have changed us for the better.”