Iceland is a country often high on people’s ‘bucket-list’ due to its awe-inspiring nature and the feeling of wildness to the landscape. Its unique and inspiring geology has intrigued geologists for decades, from the birth of the plate tectonics theory to some of the largest historical eruptions on earth and more recently to the hazards posed by eruptions to nearby mainland Europe. In this talk we will journey through Iceland to understand how this harsh and beautiful land came to be, and why it is so intriguing to geologists. The talk will not be overly technical, think of it as a ‘beginners guide to Icelandic geology’ and I will illustrate it with as many photos as possible to allow everyone to journey remotely to this wild island.

Robert Askew currently works as a geologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, his main task is to improve the mapping of Iceland’s geology and create higher resolution geological maps of the country. His PhD is from the University of Iceland where he mapped and studied a Miocene age central volcano in the east of Iceland, and his BSc and masters are from The University of Edinburgh.