Iceland is a creation of
plate tectonics. The North American and European plates are spreading apart
here at the rate of about 1 in (2.5 cm) each year. The island abounds with
visual evidence of this movement. Most recently, a new fissure has erupted in the
Holuhraun lava field just north of Dyngjujokull, part of the larger Vatnajokull
(jokull is Icelandic for glacier). The photo above shows the eastern lava field
of the Holuhraun fissure eruption as the lava meets the Jokulsa a Fjollum,
Iceland’s second longest river. Jokulsa a Fjollum carries meltwater from
glaciers near its source to the sea more than 125 mi (200 km) distant. At the
time the photo was taken the lava was flowing at a rate of about 328 ft (100 m)
per hour and covered 7 sq mi (19 sq km) making it the largest such flow Iceland
has seen since 1875. Photo taken September 8, 2014.
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