Ghosts of Myvatn.(YH #5)

                                                                                            Attribution: Yusuf Hashim
Image: Yusuf Hashim at the Myvatn volcanic Region (here)
(hot from the Press, this is Yusuf's posting on April 07,2015)

This is Modern Day Explorer #5
Modern Day Explorer #4 (here)

G for Ghosts of Myvatn

Continuing the incredible yet delightful saga of the Yusuf Hashim Photo Safari in Iceland. Hank is most enthralled by Yusuf's authoritative description of the physical make-up around him.Certainly much more informative than those geography lessons we used to hear about in school before.

Yusuf Hashim says:

Ghosts of Myvatn.
We were in the Myvatn volcanic region of North Central Iceland this morning. Volcanoes, like pimples, dominate the dark lava landscape, whitened by generous icing of snow. The area is like you've descended into another sinister world. Geysers of steam erupt everywhere around us. There is a strong sulphuric smell that hangs in the air and makes our clothes smell of sulphur.
Mývatn is a shallow eutrophic lake in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from Krafla volcano. Eutrophic means the lake has high biological productivity. Due to excessive nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, eutrophic water bodies are able to support an abundance of aquatic plants. Usually the water body will be dominated either by aquatic plants or algae. When aquatic plants dominate, the water tends to be clear. When algae dominates the water tends to be darker. The algae engages in photosynthesis which supplies oxygen to the fish and biota which inhabit these waters. And the waters of Lake Myvatn is clear darkish black. Many parts of the lake are still frozen. The biting cold wind is so strong it can blow you off your feet.
Myvatn lake and its surrounding wetlands have an exceptionally rich fauna of waterbirds, especially ducks. The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars and rootless vents called pseudocraters. The river Laxá which flows out of the lake is known for its rich fishing for Brown Trout and Atlantic Salmon.
Its a photographer's paradise and we made hundreds of shots here.

And the icing on the cake, the man himself announcing his open invitation.
Yusuf is Hank's buddy but he can also be your buddy if you answer his call. This is the latest, posted on April 07, 2015, read on....

Yusuf Hashim says:

The biting cold wind in the Namafjall Hvrir volcanic region in North Iceland is really strong. Almost blew me into one of the many sulphuric acid pools there. I can now add Iceland as one of the four places in the world that you MUST visit before you move on. The other three are Patagonia, the North West Frontier of Pakistan and the Himalayas. Iceland has so much to offer, and especially in the north sparsely populated area, the raw beauty of the harsh black lava volcanic landscape with its icing of pure white snow, is like someplace on Mars. Really really beautiful. I've just arranged to do one more PhotoSafari to Iceland fom 1-7 September, for those who missed joining me this round, and also as an appetizer for those who are coming with me on my schooner expedition to Greenland from 8-16 Sep 2015

There you have it, any takers?

For Blogging A to Z for April  -  G