Two NC State geology students embarked on a trip to Iceland in July, watching volcanic eruptions, encountering rare geological formations and experiencing the local Nordic culture.
This adventure was not a leisurely vacation, but an essential component of the geology curriculum. Bridget Dale, a fourth-year studying geology, said decided to travel to Iceland with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to fulfill her fieldwork requirement because of the unique opportunities it presented.
Joseph Barry, a fourth-year studying geology, attended the same trip. The students mainly stayed in tents near the areas they were studying. Dale said the camping experience helped to make their fieldwork feel more authentic.
“I personally loved it,” Dale said. “I liked the tent parks, they made me feel like a real scientist — less like I was in a classroom.”
The trip was not without its challenges; Dale said the students encountered the fierce and unpredictable Icelandic elements.
“When my group went [to study soil samples] it was really windy, like probably 80-mile-per-hour winds and it’s just a pit of ash and very loose fine-grained stuff,” Dale said. “It was in my eyes, my nose, it was in my mouth. I took my hat off at the end of the day, and it just rained ash. It got in every crack of my book; it’s still got ash in it.”
During their time on the island, the students witnessed a volcanic eruption firsthand. Barry said the students watched the Litli-Hrútur volcano form from an initial fissure in the ground.
“It starts as just a crack in the ground, and as it shoots a magma up and starts to build, and so we saw it like 20 or so meters high,” Barry said. “It was more like an application thing. Everything we learned up to that and beyond, we got to see it pretty much live-action.”
Dale said their timing could not have been more fortunate. The students were able to take notes, collect samples and walk on the newly formed volcanic rock before the site was closed off to the public.
“That was kind of a drop everything that we had planned for that day and just go, which was a great idea because they closed it the day after,” Dale said. “We got really lucky.”
Dale said the students also had the chance to see glaciers and extremely rare volcanic formations called rootless cones. Only one rootless cone cluster exists on Earth, and another is on Mars. Magma forms volcanoes without lava ever flowing out, creating a field of craters.
Dale and Barry posed with an NC State flag in front of their most picturesque sights. Dale said she decided to pack the flag to excite fellow geology students for the opportunity to travel abroad for their school requirements.
“There’s not a lot of opportunity for students, especially in our department, to go abroad,” Dale said. “I thought that it would get people excited in our department about geology, especially as we come back and do Wolfpack Welcome Week for the geology club, to show people that there’s more than just North Carolina and geology out there.”
The students not only delved into Iceland’s geological wonders but also its culture and local wildlife. Barry said the students explored Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, and spotted orcas and puffins on a ferry ride to see an infamous volcano.
Barry said he truly appreciated the group’s journey to Iceland, as he was able to learn how its many geological features formed.
“It’s cool to say you’ve been to a place that not a lot of people have, but Iceland — I wanted to learn about it,” Barry said. “A lot of people know of it, but they don’t know why it’s there, or why it’s unique. And it was cool to learn it instead of just going and looking around. It was cool to actually immerse yourself there for a few weeks.”
