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THE FORMATION  OF ICELAND - THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
& THE ICELAND HOTSPOT
Iceland Is in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean directly below the Arctic Circle.  The island is the second largest island in Europe and as of 2024, it had a population of 383,726.  Iceland is located on the two tectonic plates which is called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) which is the boundary between the North American & Eurasian tectonic plates.   These plates continually move apart which causes fissures in the earth’s crust and the  magma to rise up and break through the crust of the earth.  When this happens, the magma erupts as lava.   Iceland is the only place in the world where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is visitble above sea level.   Because of this Iceland was created from lava and it  is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity  Here are some slides we saw on Seaventure explaining the volcanic activity in Iceland.  There are two places where you can see the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.   Pingvellir National Park and on the Reykjanes Peninsula.  

Hotspot image300

This slide shows how the magma breaks through the crust at an Iceland hotspot.   When the two tectonic plates move apart, they create cracks in the earth’s crust which allows lava to erupt upwards or water to seep into the earth’s crust, become heated by the magma and return to Iceland’s surface  as geysers or hot springs!
eruptions since 1960300

This slide shows a list of eruptions since 1960. The latest, Sundhnukagigar,  erupted May 2024 near the town of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon on the Reykjanes Peninsula.  Notice how the hotspots cut diagonally across Iceland.  Reykjavik is on the North American tectonic plate and the Eastfjords are on the Euroasian tectonic plate.
Fred & JoyceMAR500

Our clients, Fred & Joyce, visited the Mid-Atlantic Ridge  in Pingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park and took these photos.   The park  is a 25- minutes outside of Reykjavik  The Silfra fissure in the park is where  you can snorkel or scuba  dive between the two tectonic plates.  Joyce and Fred opted to just walk!
Lytle1.500

Walking beween the two tectonic plates in Almannagja Ravine in the Silfra rift valley.  The North America tectonic plate is on the left and the Eurasian tectonic plate is on the right.     This shows you how far both plates have moved away from  one another.
Fred Joyce MAR300

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mountain  range that is underwater from  the Arctic Ocean in the North Atlantic Ocean to Antarctica in the South Atlantic Ocean.    The length of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is 9,900 miles!  Their photo shows the ridge above the sea. 

Silfra Lake300

Pingvallavatn Lake in Pingvellir National Park is the largest natural lake in Iceland.  It is where the Silfra fissure is located and people can scuba nd snorkel between the two tectonic plates.

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