Is Iceland green and Greenland icy? Plus: an Icelandic road trip, photo of the day, and more.

Explore Iceland's eerie landscapes, surprise magma pockets, and elfin believers. [ ] [SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC]( [VIEW ONLINE]( [SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC]( [National Geographic]( [THE COMPASS]( [Iceland]( PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHNATHAN AMPERSAND ESPER, AURORA An island of mystery, history, and mesmerizing landscapes, Iceland is a theater for Earth's natural drama—from the spurting geysers and bubbling mud pools that punctuate its countryside, to the massive ice sheets that shroud its volcanic mountains. In this edition, we learn why a surprise [magma pocket hints at more "ticking time bombs,"]( [discover breathtaking nature and historic battles]( as we take an epic drive along the nation's less-touristed north, and [hear of the eerie folktales]( behind the country's natural wonders. Let's explore [Iceland](. HISTORY & CULTURE [Craters at Lake Myvatn in Iceland are among the country's many green landscapes.]( PHOTOGRAPH BY JONAS BENDIKSEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC [Is Iceland really green and Greenland really icy?]( A longstanding rumor claims the names are a bait and switch. [READ MORE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( [Krafla volcano erupts. Recently collected magma from Krafla matches magma from its eruption in 1724. That means the magma had gone unnoticed for three hundred years, despite huge advances in detection equipment.]( PHOTOGRAPH BY ARCTIC IMAGES, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO [Surprise magma pocket found in Iceland hints at more 'ticking time bombs']( Geologists were stunned to find previously unmapped magma at some of the world's best studied volcanoes. [READ MORE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( [Krafla volcano erupts. Recently collected magma from Krafla matches magma from its eruption in 1724. That means the magma had gone unnoticed for three hundred years, despite huge advances in detection equipment.]( [Photo of the day]( Keep coming back for the newest photo that captures our ever-changing world. [BOOKMARK IT]( TRAVEL DREAM NOW, GO LATER [Dramatic landscapes captivate visitors on the Arctic Coast Way, a car route established in 2019 in northern Iceland.]( PHOTOGRAPH BY FILIPPO BIANCHI, GETTY IMAGES [Whales, myths, and Arctic lakes: Explore Iceland’s new road trip]( An epic drive across the Nordic nation’s less-touristed north reveals breathtaking nature and historic battles on land and sea. [READ MORE](ze.CustomerKey}) SHARE [F]( [T]( [According to Icelandic folklore, the basalt rock formations off the coast of Vik were once trolls.]( PHOTOGRAPH BY SMITT, GETTY IMAGES [The eerie folktales behind Iceland’s natural wonders]( Beware of trolls. [READ MORE]( [Elves seem to suit Iceland's otherworldly landscape.]( PHOTOGRAPH BY KOMYVGORY, GETTY IMAGES [More than half of this country believes in elves]( For real. [READ MORE]( [Iceland's distinct architecture, such as this house on the outskirts of Húsavík, adds to the dramatic nighttime setting.]( PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT ORMEROD [Why space fans flock to this eerie landscape]( “It’s almost like outer space coming to you,” a photographer says of the aurora-filled skies over this otherworldly locale. [READ MORE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [READ OUR LATEST STORIES]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [FB]( [Twitter]( [IG]( Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply. This email was sent to: {EMAIL}. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored. This email contains an advertisement from: National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036 [Stop all types of future commercial email]( from National Geographic regarding its products, services, or experiences. [Manage all email preferences]( with the Walt Disney Family of Companies. © 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC, All rights reserved.