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Map of hotspots. Iceland is number 14. The geology of Iceland is unique and of particular interest to geologists. Iceland lies on the divergent boundary between the Eurasian plate and the North American plate. It also lies above a hotspot, the Iceland plume. The plume is believed to have caused the formation of Iceland itself, the island first ...
Iceland's location astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and North American Plates are moving apart, is partly responsible for this intense volcanic activity, but an additional cause is necessary to explain why Iceland is a substantial island while the rest of the ridge mostly consists of seamounts, with peaks below sea level.
Also the South Iceland seismic zone (SISZ) is another fracture zone, which connects the EVZ and WVZ. Both fracture zones include their own volcanic systems, smaller than those in the MIB. There are also two intraplate volcanic belts: Öræfajökull or Öræfi, (ÖVB) on the Eurasian plate, and Snæfellsnes (SVB) on the North American plate.
The island Vestmannaeyjar volcano to the south east of Iceland has in its recent activity formed the island of Surtsey and cones such as Eldfell on Heimaey. It is the southern tip of the EVZ propagating rift in what is an off rift region called the South Iceland Volcanic Zone (SIVZ), [ 18 ] and the older alkaline basalts were alkali olivine and ...
Iceland is highly susceptible to natural disasters because it lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – a divergent plate boundary where the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate are moving away ...
The volcano erupted again in May 2010, causing the closure of airspace over many parts of Europe. [27] The eruptions also created electrical storms. [28] The London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre declared the eruption to have stopped on the 23rd of May 2010, but stated that they were continuing to monitor the volcano. [29]
Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions.
Iceland is accustomed to volcanic eruption and is home to 33 active volcanoes, reported AFP. Reykjanes peninsula itself has seen three eruptions since 2021, one each year – in March 2021, August ...