Monday 11th May we enjoyed an interesting and informative evening looking at the NWR country for the year, Iceland. We were treated to an amazing presentation from Tim (husband of one of our members) who had taken students on several field trips to Iceland over the years and was extremely knowledgeable about it.
We covered general information such as Population: 402,000 (similar to Leicester), Capital is Reykjavik (“Smokey Bay”): 249,000 (62%), 1/8th is covered in ice, Volcanic eruptions occur every 5-7 years, 24hrs daylight in summer. Then covered a brief history, standard of living and some famous Icelanders and the history of their names. Apparently Icelandic names combine the first name of one of the parents with the suffix son (meaning ‘son of’) or dottir (meaning daughter of) eg Magnus Magnusson was the son of Magnus. (who would have known?)
Much of the presentation then went on to look at the geography and geology of the island accompanied by some amazing photos of the landscape, Waterfalls, Mid Atlantic Ridge, lava fields, glaciers and glacial outwash plains, basalt columns, volcanos and the coastline.
After this we were treated to some incredible photos of wildlife and birds, accompanied by information from our own ‘birder’ Chris.
Needless to say we were all enthralled by the presentation and after discussion and questions we were treated to Icelandic pancakes (Pönnukökur) and drinks.
So did Iceland cause the French Revolution? In 1783 the Laki volcano erupted causing a huge cloud of sulphur and dust and the world to cool by 1 degree celsius, ruining crops and agriculture across the northern hemisphere. This in turn caused famine and unrest and many historians today believe this unrest sparked the peasants to revolt, causing the French Revolution.
A great evening and thanks to Debbie and Tim for hosting.