Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 1
This chance photo was taken of a "reflected" double rainbow in Grand Tetons National Park,
Wyoming this past summer. Taken at about 15 minutes after sunrise the clouds had been
rolling away to the west as the sky brightened behind me in the east. As the sun cleared the
ridge line behind me camera right a double rainbow was produced and, from the light
reflecting off the lake, a reflected double rainbow formed. A math professor friend of mine
wrote this blog post about the math. https://divisbyzero.com/2017/07/04/the-math-behind-a-
reflected-double-rainbow/
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 2
This photo was taken in early May of last year at Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park, Iceland.
This large graben depression is surrounded by fissures formed from the slow growth of Iceland
spreading out in two directions from the Mid Atlantic Ridge. In this photo, along the west side
of the park, the Öxará river flows into and along one of the fissures before flowing out into
Thingvellir Lake. This is one of the few places in the world where the geology of plate tectonics
can be easily seen
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 3
In the weeks between the rainy and dry seasons of Panama strong winds blow from the
Caribbean side and over the central mountainous areas. In Central Panama they refer to the
misty rain that forms from these winds as the Bajareque. This photo was taken from the Mount
Totums Rain Forest lodge at 2,000 meters elevation and about 5 miles East of Costa Rica. The
shot was taken around 8:30am as the sun was rising and the Bajareque mist was rolling through
the cloud forest.
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 4
One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Aurora Borealis is a spectacular light show
created by the collision of electronically charged particles released from the sun that enter into
Earth’s atmosphere, colliding with gases in our atmosphere. The most common color is green
(excited oxygen), while the violet you see in the photo is more rare, caused by a reaction with
ionized Nitrogen. Witnessing the colors dance around the heavens was breathtaking but I had
to remember that our ancestors had no way of knowing what was happening! There are many
myths created across the globe to rationalize this mysterious happening but Icelandic ancestors
associated the phenomenon with childbirth and believed that the expectant mother should not
look at the Aurora while giving birth, otherwise the child would be born cross-eyed! Another
Icelandic myth is that the Valkyries were riding around the sky, deciding who would live and
who would die in battle. Us mere mortals were only able to see the impressive reflection of the
armor, hence the colors dancing across the night sky.
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 5
While most media will boast that you can “dive between two continental plates”, it’s a bit of a
stretch of the truth. While it is true that the reason Iceland continues to “grow”, or diverge, 2 cm
per year due to the Eurasian plate separating from the North American plate, the Silfra fissure
resides on the North American plate and the Eurasian plate is only a few hundred meters away.
In fact, when you’re standing at the head of the fissure preparing to take the plunge, you’re
technically standing in between the two continental plates – a “no man’s land”, if you will.
Regardless, this marketing tactic does not take away from the astounding beauty of some of the
clearest water in the world! The reason for this clarity is because it is glacial melt water. 12,000
years ago marked the end of Iceland’s last ice age. When the ice retreated, it left behind a lot of
glacial melt water. With Iceland’s eruptive history, lava fields covered the area, forcing the melt
water below the ground. At an average temperature of 2◦C, the glacial water is filtered through
these porous underground lava tubes – a journey that takes 30-100 years – and can escape
through cracks, like the Silfra fissure, resulting in water that is crystal clear and purity at its
finest! On a day like today’s photo, you could see nearly 100m!
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 6
Half troll, half man, Bardur Snaefellsas was the settler of this area and the protector of what is
now called the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Looking to the shore along nearly all of Iceland’s coast,
you will notice basalt rock formations. While science states these sea stacks were created by lava
flows that cooled down and weathered from the sea, legend says that these rocks are trolls who
were caught in the sunlight as they tried to drag ships ashore to gobble down the crew but were
forever turned to stone just in time! No matter your beliefs, the myths and geology surrounding
Iceland are equally as impressive and profound!
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 7
Global climate change is causing increasing temperature fluctuations and the Serrano Glacier of
Bernardo O’Higgins National Park is melting away. As part of eco-tourism in southern Chile,
fragments of the glacier are chipped into glass tumblers. Although the glaciers are no longer
sustainable in a warming environment, the remnants can be used for a final whisky tribute to
the cooler temperatures of the past.
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 8
The name and sight of Torres del Paine inspire images of broken ankles and scraped skin, but
the name really means towers of blue. The granite peaks annually pull in 150,000 international
visitors to southern Chile. To preserve and sustain this fragile eco-system that has thin soils and
continuously arid winds, human tent villages are contained in small areas, and elevated
walkways are built out of wood. The guanacos however, are free to roam at will.
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 9
Glass walls and ceilings of this lounge provide an aesthetically pleasing view of the Andes
dominating the Patagonian steppe. As the global human population climbs to 8 billion, the last
wilderness places on earth are becoming tourist meccas. The Torres del Paine lodge in southern
Chile presents a conundrum. Are tourists, especially ones that love the outdoors, loving our
natural areas to death? Does eco-tourism inspire greater sustainability of our little blue planet,
or just the faster extinction of the few quiet places that are left?
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 10
Charging batteries for the rapidly increasing number of electronic devices uses a large amount
of energy every day. Human exercise generates a large amount of energy every day. Why not
link these?
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 11
The pier at the US Army Corps of Engineers research facility, Duck, NC. Weathering, anyone?
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 12
Fall festival at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania. Parks and public lands ask so little
and give so much.
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 13
Because Iceland lacked wood for construction, for centuries, most homes, stables, and barns
were built primarily of turf with sod roofs. Until the late 1800s, over half of all Icelandic
dwellings were partially made of turf. This sustainable practice was also practical in that thick
turf walls protected the residents from harsh weather conditions. This abandoned structure is
located in Southern Iceland near Vik.
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 14
Until the mid 1800s, all the Icelandic churches were constructed of turf. Turf structures in
Iceland represent both a practical and sustainable response to building for such a harsh climate.
Saurbæjarkirkja, shown here, is just one of only six turf churches remaining in Iceland today. It
is located about 30 km from Akureyri in Northern Iceland.
Geography-Earth Science
2018 Photo Contest Alumni, Faculty, and Staff Entries
P H O T O | 15
Waterfalls are ever-present on the Icelandic landscape. This one, Seljalandsfoss, in Southern
Iceland, drops about 200 feet and is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin in the volcano
glacier known as Eyjafjallajokull. A unique characteristic of Seljalandsfoss is that you can walk
behind the waterfall into a cave. Despite being tourist attractions, Iceland is committed to
sustainable tourism and protecting the natural environment surrounding the waterfalls.