We went on a bus tour to the South Coast of the island country... lava beds from the 1400's extended to the ocean's edge, and the cracked and fragmented basalt made for some interesting coastline features.

The view was pretty impressive!

The lava flowed for several months during the eruption that added several kilometers of land mass to the south coast in this area... the sea is working diligently to regain the ground it lost..

 

It was very soothing to watch the waves pound the outcroppings.

This island, which formed from an underwater rift quite a while ago, has eroded down to the basalt column formed by the hardening throat of the volcano that created it.

Its now home to the largest gannet colony in the Atlantic.

 

A lighthouse, Reykjanes, stands vigil on the South Eastern tip of Iceland, guiding ships around the outcropping.  This is the second light tower installed at this site.  The original lighthouse was put in around 1900, but was destroyed a few years later in a storm. 

A larger, sturdier tower was built in the mid 1920's.

The lighthouse stands on what looks to be a lava dome, and steam rises from several hot spots in the lava field further inland.

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