Course Information:

Prerequisites: Physical geology, mineralogy, and petrology required; stratigraphy, structural geology, and volcanology helpful but not required.

Physical demands: Field work will involve working off-trail in rugged terrain, and may include several hikes of considerable length.  Students should be both physically prepared and comfortable with steep terrain.

Climate: Iceland weather is highly unpredictable, but is cool and mild in the summer with typical highs in 50’s (F) and lows in the 40’s.  Late summer weather is relatively good, but periods of rain and high winds are not unusual.

Facilities: Lodging for most of the program will be tent camping in developed campgrounds.  Several days of office work (compilation and and report-writing) will be based out of hotels/hostels with basic accommodations.  The first and last nights  of the program will be spent in Reykjavik.  Students will need to supply their own camping equipment, tent (or arrangement to share), sleeping bag, and pad, as well as a basic “mess kit”.

Other required equipment: Basic geology tools including hammer, hand lens, rite-in-the-rain notebook, map case, colored pencils, Brunton compass (or equivalent), and a GPS unit (note: the latter two items can generally be borrowed from student’s home institutions; in special cases these can be borrowed from the camp).  Students will need a laptop computers to complete reports.  Suitable clothing for working in cool wet conditions including waterproof breathable coat, rain pants, fleece layers, good rugged hiking boots, and appropriate socks.  A complete equipment list will be provided for participants ahead of the camp.