Snow-capped Volcanic Mountains, Green Valley Stream, Iceland

Tuff and stuff

Just over the mountains from the Eastfjords' snaggled coastline lies a valley that's so sunny and green in the summer, it's easy to forget this nation has 'ice' right in its name. Iceland's Stórurð ('giant boulders') valley is named for the many large masses of tuff—that is, compressed volcanic ash—strewn amid the meadows long ago by retreating glaciers. Standing far taller are the peaks of Dyrfjöll, a sharp, steep range made of the same tuff.