Lava Center of Iceland

Iceland’s Lava Center is an interactive exhibit dedicated to the geological forces that created Iceland and are actively changing Iceland today. You can’t visit Iceland without being exposed to the massive lava fields, geothermal vents, hot springs and tectonic plates.  This exhibit pulls all of that together and tells you how all those things came to be. The quality of the Lava Center made it one of the highlights of our trip and if you like geology you can really geek out on this place.

Lava Center location

The Lava Center is located right on Road 1 about 38 minutes Southeast from Selfoss so if you are traveling the Ring Road loop or just traveling the Southern coast you can’t miss it.

Lava Center entrance

When you enter the Lava Center you purchase tickets and proceed into a room to watch a short movie about Iceland’s volcanic history.

Lava Center – Volcano Corridor

After the movie you walk down the volcano corridor where you read about the history of eruptions in Iceland.

The creation of Iceland

One of the neatest parts of the exhibit is an interactive screen that looks like you are looking down on the Earth.  When you slide the waist high handrail left or right you cause the Earth to progress forwards and backwards in time over 65 million years, which allows you to see the movement of the tectonic plates and the creation of Iceland. This video shows you how it works. Very cool!

Mantle plumes under Iceland

Part of the exhibit explains how there are locations across the Earth where magma plumes rise to the surface, one of which is right underneath Iceland.

At this point you are standing next to a model of the mantle plume allowing you to look up at Iceland as if you were in the middle of the earth.  This model appeared to be around 25 feet tall. Even though the model is made from low tech materials (like lights and crepe paper) the end result is very impressive!

Lava exhibits

There are also various displays of different types of volcanic lava.  Each exhibit has a screen where you can read various facts. This was created in a low tech fashion with the lava created like a three dimensional relief map on the table and projecting the lava on it giving it the impression that it is hot and moving!

Experiencing eruptions on the horizon

Near the end of the exhibit there is a room with projections on the walls where you see volcanoes erupting in the distance, making you feel like you are there while the eruptions are happening.

Summary

The Lava Center is a must see if you are on the Southern coast of Iceland.  It was expertly assembled and is highly interactive. After going through the Lava Center you and your family come out with a better understanding of the geology of the Earth as well as the forces that created Iceland and continue to shape it today.  Allow about 90 minutes for your visit. If you like reading about Iceland consider reading the Waterfalls of Iceland or the Whales of Iceland upclose experience.

Exhibit: Lava Center
Location: Hvolsvöllur, Iceland
Address: Austurvegur 14, 860 Hvolsvöllur, Iceland
Website: https://lavacentre.is/