Scientific Information

  Rift valley of Iceland This image is of a valley in Iceland that is part of the Thingvellir National Park - this valley is not formed by the erosion of a river but by the moving of tectonic plates away from each other - at this point two tectonic plates are separated from each other - on the right is the Eurasian plate which consists of Asia and Europe while on the left The North American plate is composed of the continent of North America - most of the boundary of these plates is at the bottom of the sea so usually not visible - but in Iceland this boundary passes right in the middle of the country The Eurasian Plate is sliding to the right due to the movement of underground magma while the North American Plate is sliding to the left, which is also expanding the valley and increasing its depth - this type of valley is Rift valley. is done because such valleys are due to the rift of tectonic plates ie moving away from each other are formed. These plates are moving away from each ...