ONE OF MY FAVORITE LOCATIONS ON THE TRIP WAS THE HOLUHRAUN (WITCHES LAVA) LAVA FIELD

One of my favorite locations on the trip was the Holuhraun (witches lava) Lava Field. The 2014–2015 volcanic eruption at Holuhraun was the largest eruption in Iceland in 230 years. Lasting from August 31, 2014 to February 27, 2015, the eruption generated 1.5–2.0 cubic kilometers of lava.

The flow inundated a segment of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum—Iceland’s highest discharge river—resulting in unusual hydrothermal activity. Take a close look at the sign buried in sediment, and you instantly grasp the emphemerral life, in human time, of volcanoes and glacier . The lava diverted part of the river, but a substantial flux of water continues to pass under and through the lava, emerging as steam plumes and hot springs near the flow front.

Yes, it looks like Mars. The lava itself is morphologically similar to many lava flows observed on the surface of Mars.