Photo Gallery :: Icelandic Lava Caves

Iceland's active volcanoes have created a series of networks of lava caves - ranging from short cavities within the lava fields, to a few extensive caves of more than 1km in length. On our recent visit we were fortunate enough to be taken to a few sites by some local cavers. Here are a few of the photos we took on an extremely wet day on the Reykjanes Peninsular in Iceland, 2010. Special thanks go to Gudni, Ragnar, Halldór and Vladimir at the Icelandic speleological society (Hellarannsóknafélag Íslands) - to Björn at www.extremeiceland.is - and to Ed and Hayley for helping put us in touch with the right people.

Lava stalactite / helictite

A particularly fine and fragile stalactite / helictite in an Icelandic lava tube. Whilst it is known that such speleothems are formed by remelt of the lava tube roof, it is hard to imagine what circumstances brought about the weird and wonderful shape of this stalactite.

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