Askja

Magnificent desolation.

Askja, a striking caldera nestled within the Dyngjufjöll volcano, dominates the north-central Highlands of Iceland. Spanning 200 km in length and varying in width from 5 to 20 km, it is the largest volcanic system on the island, a monument to the forces that have shaped Iceland.

This is a harsh, otherworldly terrain – bleak, primordial, and fiercely remote. To the north of the caldera sprawls the desolate lava field Ódáðahraun, aptly named “Lava of Ominous Deeds.” Its unrelenting barrenness adds to the forbidding beauty of this volcanic wilderness.

In the 1960s, as part of their Apollo programme training, NASA sent its astronauts to this unforgiving landscape. One can imagine Buzz Aldrin first encountering here the “magnificent desolation” that he would later experience on the Moon.

Askja, a volcanic wonderland
5D Mark III, TS-E 90

The explosion craters Viti (lit. hell) and its larger sibling Öskjuvatn (lit. Askja lake) were formed in an eruption in 1875. In 1907 two German scientists vanished in Öskjuvatn and their case remains unresolved to this day.

Walls of Víti explosion crater
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

In the image below, the dots in the centre of the lake are Icelanders enjoying a dip in the mineral-rich tepid waters of Víti.

Víti
5D Mark III, TS-E 24L II

Víti and behind it, Öskjuvatn
5D Mark III, TS-E 24L II

Panorama of Öskjuvatn and Askja
(Click on image for larger view)
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Indian spices? Pebbles cooked in volcanic broth
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Pattern of ice and volcanic ash
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Lone hiker and sand desert
(Can you spot him? Click on image for 100% crop)
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Life finds a way: Lambagras in the Ódáðahraun desert
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Ódáðahraun lava field
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Rope lava (aka Pāhoehoe lava)
5D Mark III, TS-E 24L II

Our superjeep in the Ódáðahraun desert
5D Mark III, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP