STEM School Trips to Iceland

Stand on the footbridge spanning the fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge comes ashore. A short drive away, the steaming mud pools and fumaroles of Gunnuhver hiss and bubble with boiling water and sulphurous gas. Two short stops, and students have seen a plate boundary and the heat that comes with it. Curriculum link – Geology & Physics: plate tectonics, divergent boundaries, continental drift; geothermal heat and fluid processes.

Walk across lava fields created by the eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula between 2021 and 2023. Students compare lava flow types, pick out freshly formed igneous rock and see a landscape that is still changing. The visit ends at the Reykjanesviti lighthouse, where Atlantic waves break against black lava cliffs. Curriculum link – Geology & Volcanology: recent volcanism (2021–23 eruptions), lava flow types, igneous rock formation.

Bathe in the milky-blue water of Iceland’s best-known lagoon, fed by geothermal seawater from the neighbouring Svartsengi power station. The water is actually run-off from the plant. It’s rich in silica and minerals, and a good way into geochemistry and how engineers found a use for a waste product. Curriculum link – Engineering & Chemistry: geothermal water geochemistry (silica, sulphur); applied engineering of geothermal by-product water.

Unwind at this oceanside geothermal lagoon just outside Reykjavík, where an infinity edge looks out over the North Atlantic. The water is heated from underground, the same way most homes in the capital are, which is an easy way into how geothermal energy is piped around Reykjavík. Curriculum link – Engineering & Chemistry: geothermal water geochemistry; applied geothermal engineering.

Soak in one of Iceland’s oldest swimming pools at Flúðir, fed by natural hot springs that bubble up right beside the water. Students can watch a small geyser erupt nearby and see how hot water is channelled straight from the ground into the pool. It is a good place to talk about how Icelanders have used hot springs for generations. Curriculum link – Engineering & Chemistry: geothermal water geochemistry (silica, sulphur); applied use of geothermal water.

Walk through the Almannagjá gorge in Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the North American and Eurasian plates are slowly pulling apart. The valley is still widening, and students can see the open cracks and faults along with the very clear water of the Silfra fissure. It’s also where Iceland’s first parliament met. Curriculum link – Geology & Physics: plate tectonics, rift valley formation, measurable continental drift.

Watch Strokkur erupt every few minutes in the Haukadalur geothermal field that gave all geysers their name. Each eruption is pressure building underground until superheated water flashes into steam. Wait a few minutes, and watch it again! Around it are bubbling hot springs and ground stained orange and yellow by minerals. Curriculum link – Physics: fluid dynamics, pressure build-up and release, phase change.

Feel the spray at Gullfoss, the ‘Golden Falls’, where the glacial Hvítá river plunges into a deep canyon. As well as looking at erosion and river flow, students hear how the falls were once proposed for a hydroelectric scheme before being protected. It’s a good starting point for a debate about energy versus conservation. Curriculum link – Geology & Environmental Science: erosion, hydrology, hydropower potential vs. conservation.

This family-run farm grows tomatoes all year round, even in an Icelandic winter. Geothermal heat warms the glasshouses, artificial lighting replaces winter daylight and bumblebees pollinate the plants. Students learn how adding CO₂ and controlling the conditions speeds up photosynthesis, and why growing food this way makes sense in a country with so much geothermal heat. Curriculum link – Environmental Science & Engineering: applied geothermal energy use, plant biology, CO₂ enrichment.

Walk the rim of Kerið, a volcanic crater around 3,000 years old, with red scoria slopes and a vivid blue-green lake at its base. Students look closely at the tephra and scoria and work out how the crater collapsed once the magma below had drained away. Curriculum link – Geology: volcanic caldera, tephra/scoria composition.

Feel the heat as real molten lava, heated to around 1,100°C, is poured into the room in front of you. It’s the closest most people will ever get to an eruption, and students watch the lava flow, cool and harden into rock within minutes. After that, explaining how extrusive igneous rock forms is much easier. Curriculum link – Geology & Volcanology: magma/lava physical properties, live cooling and crystallisation.

Two of the most noteworthy waterfalls in Iceland. At Seljalandsfoss, you can walk right behind the water, while Skógafoss thunders over former sea cliffs that once marked Iceland’s coastline and now stand several kilometres inland. Students look at how waterfalls form and cut back over time, and where the meltwater feeding them comes from. Curriculum link – Geology & Environmental Science: waterfall geomorphology, erosion processes.

The LAVA Centre in Hvolsvöllur is an interactive exhibition on the volcanoes and earthquakes that made Iceland. Students try the earthquake simulator, follow the story of major eruptions such as Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 and see how scientists monitor seismic activity. Curriculum link – Geology & Volcanology: volcanic eruption history, seismology, earthquake simulation.

Strap on crampons for a guided walk on Sólheimajökull, a glacier of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap. With qualified guides, students walk past crevasses, ridges and dark bands of ash from old eruptions. On the way in, markers show where the ice used to reach, and the gap is hard to ignore. Curriculum link – Environmental Science & Geology: glaciology, glacial features, climate-change evidence.

Explore the black sand beaches around Vík, including Reynisfjara with its basalt columns and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks offshore. Students can look at how the sea is reshaping the coast. The cliffs are nesting sites for various birds, including puffins. Curriculum link – Geology: basalt column formation (columnar jointing), coastal hazard/risk assessment.

Skógar Museum shows how Icelanders used to live, including the small turf houses families lived in. The old buildings, tools and everyday objects give a sense of how people got by in such a tough environment.

Head underground into Raufarhólshellir, one of Iceland’s longest lava tunnels, formed during the Leitahraun eruption around 5,200 years ago. The tunnel formed when the top of a lava flow hardened while molten lava kept moving underneath. Inside, students can see mineral staining and different rock textures on the walls, which helps when they come to study igneous rock and the rock cycle. Curriculum link – Geology & Volcanology: extrusive igneous rock formation and cooling; lava tube formation; rock cycle and igneous rock textures; Leitahraun eruption case study.

Visit the geothermal park in the heart of Hveragerði, where hot springs and steam vents bubble up through the town. Students learn the basics of geothermal energy and see it heating the greenhouse on site. The visitor centre covers geology, microbiology and volcanic activity. The park’s hot springs were changed by the 2008 South Iceland earthquake, so there’s a local example of seismic hazards. Curriculum link – Renewable Energy/Engineering & Geology: geothermal energy principles, applied geothermal horticulture, seismic hazard impact.

The Geothermal Exhibition at Hellisheiði is one of the largest geothermal power plants in the world. Students will find out how steam from deep underground generates electricity and hot water for the capital region. They also learn about Carbfix, a project that captures CO₂, dissolves it in water and injects it into basalt rock, where it mineralises into stone. Curriculum link – Renewable Energy & Engineering: energy generation, thermodynamics, carbon capture & mineralisation.

Visit the exhibition at Ljósafoss, a hydroelectric station on the River Sog that has been generating electricity since the 1930s. Students see how moving water is turned into electricity, and can compare it with the geothermal plants they visit elsewhere on the trip. Curriculum link – Engineering & Physics: electricity generation, hydropower engineering.

Head out from Reykjavík’s Old Harbour to look for whales, dolphins and seabirds in Faxaflói Bay. Students learn about marine ecosystems, food chains and cetacean biology, and how conservation and responsible tourism help protect these animals. Curriculum link – Marine & Environmental Science: marine ecosystems, cetacean biology, food chains, conservation.

The museum has life-size models of the whales found in Icelandic waters, and they’re bigger than most students expect. Students practise species identification, compare adaptations such as baleen and teeth, and learn about the threats whales face and the work being done to protect them. Curriculum link – Marine & Environmental Science: species identification, marine biology, adaptation.

Set on a hilltop above Reykjavík, Perlan covers a bit of everything on the trip under one glass dome. Walk through a man-made ice cave in the glacier exhibition, see the Forces of Nature exhibition on volcanoes and earthquakes, and watch the Áróra planetarium show on the science of the Northern Lights. Curriculum link – All four strands: glacier/climate exhibit (Environmental Science), Forces of Nature (Geology), Áróra planetarium (Physics/Astronomy).

Reykjavík is home to 130,000 people, and it’s small enough to walk around: the harbour, the Harpa concert hall, Hallgrímskirkja church on the hill, plenty of sculpture and public art, and streets of brightly painted shops. It’s also a good place to look at tourism, urban planning and transport management, sustainability, coastal defence management and migration. Curriculum link – Cross-curricular: tourism, urban planning, sustainability, coastal management.