The Eurasian and American tectonic plates are moving away from each other and create the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that runs through the Atlantic Ocean. This ridge is not visible above water, except for in one place, Iceland.
In þingvellir, Iceland, one can see a large valley with a vista of two mountain ranges on both sides. This precise place is where the North American and Eurasian plates meet and are diverging from each other. The valley reflects the divergence.
Iceland itself was created because it lies between the two plates and was built by the volcanic activity that spurted from the rift 20 million years ago. There are only two places on earth where the meeting point of two major tectonic plates are visible on the Earth's surface. One is the valley in þingvellir and the other is in eastern Africa.
þingvellir National Park, Iceland. UNESCO World Heritage Site
The easternmost point of the North American plate.
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