4. The Volcanic Legacy of Reynisfjara Beach, Vik, Iceland
Near the little town of Vik on Iceland's southern coast, one finds a section of shoreline that looks to have been taken from the pages of a gothic tale. With its wide swathes of jet-black sand, Reynisfjara Beach is a striking and dramatic monument to Iceland's volcanic past. Towering basalt cliffs and battered by the unrelenting waves of the North Atlantic, this unearthly scene provides tourists with a window into the sheer might of geological processes sculpting this island nation over millions of years. Reynisfjara's unique black sand started with Iceland's position astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a large undersea mountain range between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Iceland is among the most volcanically active places on Earth because of this geological environment; regular eruptions have shaped the island's always shifting terrain. Mostly made of basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock created when lava cools quickly upon contact with air or water, the black sand of Reynisfjara is Much of the molten rock that volcanic eruptions spit finds its way to the coast, where it meets the icy North Atlantic waves. The quick cooling breaks the lava into tiny, glassy fragments that are subsequently sculpted and scattered down the shore by wave and current action. Black sand is always available to Reynisfjara and other similar beaches across Iceland thanks to this continuous process of volcanic activity and erosion, which preserves their unique look even as the sea constantly changes the coast. The result is a beach that seems to absorb light rather than reflect it, producing a sombre but wonderfully attractive environment that has grabbed the imagination of both visitors and directors both.
