Iceland Expedition 2012

On a trip to explore the surfeit of geographical features Iceland has to offer this half term, a group
of students were treated to the terrific and the terrifying, experiencing the Aurora Borealis and Force
12 Hurricane winds!

The field trip to Iceland runs every two years and aims to give students a real life experience of the geographical features they learn about in school. Iceland offers every major European geographical feature making it a great destination to experience volcanoes, glaciers, fjords, waterfalls, geysers, basalt columns (as you find at the Giants’ Causeway) as well as rift valleys caused by the visible plate boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

It also offers the opportunity to experience firsthand the effects climate change is having: one of the glaciers (Eyjafjallajökull) the trip visited had retreated 200m compared to the last visit 2 years ago. This retreat did mean the students could walk into and under the glacier: a really fascinating exploration of a natural wonder.

One of the highlights of the trip was an unexpected 3 hour display of the aurora borealis arching horizon to horizon in a stunning show of shifting greens.

Beth in Year 11said "they were a real highlight:“The Northern Lights were amazing. I’ve never seen
anything like them before. They were so beautiful.”

Students experienced temperatures down to -30 degrees due to wind chill and winds up to a
furious 100 miles per hour (faster than those experienced in New York during Hurricane Sandy). Despite the weather they still braved the outdoor geothermal pools for a dip:

“The Blue Lagoon was a new and exciting experience. Outdoor geothermal pools were very hot but any part of your body above the water soon became cold in the icy wind”, remembers Bryn from Year 12.

Jordan, also in Year 12 enjoyed the country as a whole:“It was amazing to see such a different country and being given the opportunity to explore it. The people were really helpful.”

“So much was memorable.” Commented Laurence Rogers, Expedition Leader. “Going under a glacier; seeing the Aurora Borealis for the first time; the hot springs and sulphur vents; but the thing I will remember most was the Hurricane Force winds!”