Bringing you where the adventure starts!
http://www.geologycafe.com/images/boundary_iceland.jpg
Why does Iceland experience tectonic activity?
First of all, Iceland is located right below the Arctic Circle. There are a lot of mountains spread throughout Iceland. But the main situation here is, why is there a lot of activity going on despite all this? Well, Iceland has to put up with volcanic activity , rather saying, that it is on top of such volcanic activity. The Mid-Atlantic ridge runs through the middle of Iceland which separates the tectonic plates to two directions; east and west. This means that Iceland is located on two plates which are the North American plate and the Eurasian plate. The unique part is that Iceland would not even exist if the lava didn't erupt or come out from the volcanoes! Iceland has one of the most active volcanoes regions in the world. Iceland has volcanoes that sit on divergent plate boundaries which means that as the plates are moving away, the magma is pushing up which will eventually cause the volcano to erupt.
What tectonic activities have occurred in the past?
Out of 130 volcanoes, 18 have erupted in Iceland since Iceland was discovered in 874 AD. In the 20th century, 40 eruptions in all have happened. A famine occurred in 1783 when Laki volcano erupted which disrupted the climate, land, and atmosphere so much that thousands of people died. Eyjafjallajokull volcano last erupted on April, 2010 causing ash from the volcano to eject. Grimsvotn volcano crater erupted on May 21, 2011 which didn't cause much devastation.
First of all, Iceland is located right below the Arctic Circle. There are a lot of mountains spread throughout Iceland. But the main situation here is, why is there a lot of activity going on despite all this? Well, Iceland has to put up with volcanic activity , rather saying, that it is on top of such volcanic activity. The Mid-Atlantic ridge runs through the middle of Iceland which separates the tectonic plates to two directions; east and west. This means that Iceland is located on two plates which are the North American plate and the Eurasian plate. The unique part is that Iceland would not even exist if the lava didn't erupt or come out from the volcanoes! Iceland has one of the most active volcanoes regions in the world. Iceland has volcanoes that sit on divergent plate boundaries which means that as the plates are moving away, the magma is pushing up which will eventually cause the volcano to erupt.
What tectonic activities have occurred in the past?
Out of 130 volcanoes, 18 have erupted in Iceland since Iceland was discovered in 874 AD. In the 20th century, 40 eruptions in all have happened. A famine occurred in 1783 when Laki volcano erupted which disrupted the climate, land, and atmosphere so much that thousands of people died. Eyjafjallajokull volcano last erupted on April, 2010 causing ash from the volcano to eject. Grimsvotn volcano crater erupted on May 21, 2011 which didn't cause much devastation.
Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland
http://worldlyscandifriend.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/midatlanticridge.jpg