Location: Torfajökull volcanic system in the central southern highlands.
This steam plume is found in the highlands of the Torfajökull volcanic system, which contain big, powerful geothermal fields. Geothermal fields are subsurface reservoirs of the Earth’s heat. On the surface, they produce visible hot springs, geysers, and steam plumes. This image is one of 41 photographs taken by Feodor Pitcairn on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s new exhibition, “Primordial Landscapes: Iceland Revealed.”