Iceland volcanic eruption

Iceland volcanic eruption.1. Iceland is one of the places with the highest volcanic activity on Earth. In total, there are 150-200 extinct and active volcanoes in the island country. The situation is explained by the fact that this state is located on the so-called "Icelandic ridge" between the American and Eurasian tectonic plates. There are tectonic faults in different regions of the planet. In such places, it is easier for volcanic magma to come to the surface. At the boundaries of tectonic plates, for example, Hawaii and Reunion Island are located. But the largest "border" island is Iceland!

2. Iceland is divided into two parts by chains of volcanoes. The eastern part of the island lies on the Eurasian tectonic plate, while the western part lies on the American one. In fact, Iceland also has its own "micro-slab" sandwiched between two large plates.

3. There are 22 active volcanoes in Iceland, of which 13 volcanoes have erupted since the Vikings settled on the island in 874 AD. It is rather difficult to calculate the exact number of volcanoes, since many of them are combined into a common "volcanic system".

At the same time, volcanoes gradually move from place to place. If you were able to visit Iceland 20 million years ago, you would have noticed that all the volcanoes are located in the northwestern part of the island, in the West Fjords. 50 million years ago they were in Greenland, and 70 million years ago they could be found somewhere in the territory of modern Canada (!). A logical question arises: what do these volcanoes need in the Faroe Islands?sea. travel, world, nature