The Plate Boundary On Iceland

The photo above shows the Almannagjá fault in the Þingvellir National Park. One might think that the gorge in the photo is where the continental plates separate, but it's not quite that simple. Briefly explained, Almannagjá marks the edge of the North American Plate, while the edge of the Eurasian Plate is another ravine, Hrafnagjá, about 5 km (3 mi) to the east, all the way across the shallow valley. This valley gets on average 7 mm (0.3 in) wider and 1 mm (0.04 in) lower each year, but the change happens occasionally during earthquakes.^[1] At the latest big earthquake in 1789, the whole valley sank 1-2 m (3-7 ft).^[1]

Þingvellir is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but not because of its geology, but beacuse this is where Iceland's parliament, Alþingi, gathered between years 930 - 1798^[2]. Until year 1262, when Iceland became a part of Norway, meetings were held on Lögberg (law mountain in english) - a site believed to have been situated either in front of or inside the Almannagjá fault.^[3] The video below shows a lot of Almannagjá - not a bad place for parliament meetings.