Located in northern Iceland, Kálfshamarsvik refers to a historic lighthouse that sits on this coast warning ships of the peninsula. But what makes this special you ask. There are many lighthouses on Iceland (e.g. Svörtuloft Lighthouse and Malariff Lighthouse to name a few), so what is so great about this one? Well, the answer lies not in the lighthouse itself but in the geology of its location.

Basalt COlumn Formation at Kálfshamarsvik

Being a volcanic island, basalt columns are numerous. There are the famous ones at Vik but you can find them almost everywhere. On this trip alone I saw them in the Westfjords at Dynjandi, small examples at Detifoss and Goðafoss, and tall ones at Litlanesfoss and Hengifoss. What makes Kálfshamarsvik more unique is the direction: these ones are not vertical but rather horizontal.

Basalt columns form when lava cools and cracks, forming pentagonal or hexagon shapes. This cracking continues downward, forming the columns that give basalt columns their name. If they are exposed to air, they are usually hexagonal. If they are underground, they can also be pentagonal or even rosette shaped. You then see these ones if the softer rock around them is eroded, which is why they are more common around water and waterfalls.

The ones at Kálfshamarsvik are approximately 2 million years old and would have formed vertically. Over time movement of the tectonic plates (Iceland straddles the North American and European plates) and the layers above them have caused many of the basalt columns at this site to move from their horizontal organisation. While you will still find some horizontal ones, especially in the cliff face, many of the ones near the lighthouse are found in other orientations. While many are still straight in their new orientation, some of them also also shifted over time, taking on curved shapes.

My thoughts on Kálfshamarsvik

I find basalt columns fascinating to begin with. On top of that seeing them doing things that basalt columns are not known for is even more impressive. It reminds me how amazing Mother Nature is and the amazing things she can make.

I say this while writing but the day itself was bitterly cold and the wind was gusting. It was difficult standing upright, let alone attempting to take pictures. I had to brace myself, take photo triplicates and compare and delete the ones where the wind blew me. I did that processing from the safety of the car. Fortunately there were also some small coves at Kálfshamarsvik. This gave us a bit of a respite from the wind if not the cold. Standing on the back side of the lighthouse, looking over the ocean, also helped.

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