Jessý Potato

Would bring a new meaning to cancel culture

My credentials? I worked 10+ years for one of the world's largest energy companies as an exploration geoscientist, with half that time devoted to deep sea hydrocarbon exploration. I also wrote my masters thesis on how hydrothermal fluids and tectonics affect porosity and permeability of reservoirs.

Efast um að olíu­leit beri árangur - Vísir Litlar líkur eru á því að olíuleit á Drekasvæðinu beri árangur, segir jarðfræðingur. Staðhæfingar Viðskiptaráðs og umræðan byggi á úreldum gögnum.

I spoke to the local evening news last night about renewed calls for oil exploration off the northeast coast of Iceland.

While I'm pro-science and never against collecting more data, this is not a play I would want to risk my tax dollars and pristine nature on.

www.visir.is/g/2025277808...

Your boos mean nothing to me; I've seen what makes you cheer.

Northwest side of Hekla Volcano

Rauðufossar

Meandering springs near Augað

Gígajökull near Þórsmörk

Spent the weekend in the Highlands of Iceland filming a documentary about geology, rivers, and the water cycle here.

It's always an adventure to get up into the wild terrain, and I love being among some of the world's most unique, surreal scenery. And of course close to some big volcanoes.

It was a big week for northern lights here in the far north as it now gets dark enough to really enjoy the show. A CME blessed our skies, although we were fighting clouds throughout SW Iceland.

More to come this weekend, solar forecast looks good. Hope the terrestrial forecast cooperates. #aurora

💯 I love it here 😻

In more Icelandic cat news, the police and special mechanics team had to be called to rescue a cat trapped in a Tesla. And the newspaper reported extensively on it.

We take cat rescue very seriously here. Like the cat that was kidnapped and they sent an entire swat team after it. #catsky

Geologist Jessica Poteet Discusses Lava, and Living in Iceland on the Lava Academy Podcast - Lavashow Geologist Jessica Poteet shares her journey, insights on Iceland’s eruptions, and love for lava in the new Lava Academy Podcast.

Long time, no chat! I'm going to try to be back more in the coming months; you'll see soon why. Are we still using this app?

I was this month's Lava Academy Podcast guest, as a geologist here in Iceland, talking science communication & what makes Iceland unique.

www.lavashow.com/blog/lava-ac...

So when you see international headlines like this: take the sensationalism with a grain of salt. The volcano is not "huge" and the entirety of Iceland was not evacuated 😂

#volcano #iceland #science

New eruption in Iceland alert! It's exciting and the situation with the air quality and instability of the growing fissure has kept us on our toes.

That said, the eruption is very localized, not affecting infrastructure, and will most likely be short-lived. So just enjoy watching new earth be born!

Here's more of Gary loving his wall of hexagons.

The scratching post is an old, repurposed post that he outgrew.

The steps are new but donated IKEA shelves.

The hexes were the only thing handmade from scratch.

A cat play wall installation of hexagonal shelves with holes that form a maze, a wood table to match, and a scratching post.

Wanted to show off this amazing installation I had put in on my dining room wall for Gary the Cat.

I conceptualized the idea, and my friends at OlaVera designed, built, and installed it. They specialize in sustainable, bespoke furniture.

The table, with cat hidey-holes, is thrifted wood and metal.

Hey #bluesky friends and followers! Sorry I've been MIA. I've been dealing with some health issues, but I'm slowly feeling better.

Not too much geology news here in Iceland anyway, and the midnight sun is keeping the northern lights at bay. But hopefully we can talk volcanoes and aurora again soon!

Number of Sunshine hours (sólskinsstundafjöldi) are the number of non-cloudy hours per month. (tbh, I can't find a definition of the word that accurately explains if this is between sunrise-sunset or a full 24 hours).

Chart showing the average temperature and number of sunshine hours per month during summer (May-August). The chart is color-coded by deviation from 1991-2020 mean (or for years prior to 2020, whatever mean Veðurstofan used then).

What's one thing you're obsessed with? Mine is to be able to accurately complain (or not) about Reykjavík summer weather, with the use of real data.

Behold: new May 2025 data. Not only the warmest May on record ever, but the largest deviation from the mean since I started my records in 2018.

Back home and participating in the season's sport

#stormchasing #oklahoma

Is it maybe a large boulder the size of a small boulder?

My cat Ásgeir helped me study for my Icelandic test

Just finished taking my Icelandic test for citizenship. I was definitely very stressed.

It's so funny what your brain blanks on in high stress situations versus what you fall back on. I just kept talking about eldgos and kötturinn minn.

Here, Ásgeir helped me study last night.

The lupine are blooming extra early this season due to unseasonably sunny & warm weather all spring. I checked my records, and the last time they bloomed in May was 2020.

So, if you're planning to come to photograph Iceland's beautiful invasive flower, you need to come now.

Pix from today's walk 📸

It was a shock to learn that two of my siblings, who are quite a bit younger than I am, have no recollection of September 11th. I was shocked, I tell you.

Hydrothermal lakes at Nesjavellir

(Actually not) Hot springs at Nesjavellir

Horses in a green pasture

Soaking in the sun and geothermal pools

Absolutely gorgeous weekend here in Iceland. I did everything in my power to maximize my time in the sun with some quintessential Icelandic activities.

Hiking in Nesjavellir 🏔️
Lunch at Hestaland 🐎
Soaking at Krauma Spa ☀️

Bongó! 🤩

Yes, my list is saved to drafts as we speak 😂

Not STEVE but Chinese rocket

Last night across parts of western interior North America, a huge white streak was visible across the sky as the aurora put on a show.

Most of us thought it was the phenomenon known as STEVE.

It was instead a new type of methane and liquid oxygen rocket launched by China. Whoa.

Pic from a friend.

Glad they're brightening your day!

How Does Bluesky Algorithm Work? Pro Growth Tips for 2025 How does Bluesky Work? This is your crash course to starting scratch on Bluesky with tips and resources the pros use.

There is no feed called "Home." There are 3 main feeds: Discover, Following, & Custom. The feed opened last when you close the app is what opens first when you restart.

The Discover feed runs on an algorithm and is how users gain followers thru algorithm promotion.

fedica.com/blog/how-doe...

That was from last year. They are already starting to bud now, which is quite early. Hopefully the good weather holds. :)

Hi! Bluesky has two feeds: one with of accounts you follow (no algorithm) and a "Discover" feed, which is absolutely how I found almost all of my followers, given I do not know many people on this site personally. That feed uses key words, image prediction, and similar accounts to populate.

Picture of people relaxing in a geothermal spring next to a lake in a grassy, flowery valley in Iceland

Picture of friends hiking in a geothermal river valley in Iceland

Sunset in a field of purple lupine

Champaign cheers to the midnight sun in a hot tub next to a glass house and the Icelandic coast

I've noticed a percipitous drop in engagement on Bluesky. I work in marketing when I'm not writing about rocks, so I know that social media algorithms reward daily posts and ritual human sacrifice, but I just don't have that in me.

Anyway, summer's here (briefly?) in Iceland, so please enjoy. ☀️