A young island

Iceland is geologically seen a very young island that has emerged out of the sea 20 million years ago thanks to a hot spot. The mid-atlantic range passes right through the island leaving a 50km wide strap that is geologically very active with volcanoes, hot springs and high temperature areas. Iceland is situated on the edges of two tectonic plates, namely the Eurasian and the American, which are constantly drifting apart. Iceland grows therefore around 2 cm per year! The cleft can be seen throughout Iceland - a very typical picture for Japanese tourists to stand with one foot in Europe, with the other in America.