On a Hot pot

Iceland sits on a hot pot supported by several active volcanoes. A scientist says that if Iceland had not been on a hot spot, Iceland would not have exist at all. It was long created by the cooling down of hot magma which came out from the vent of a large underwater volcano. A large amount of magma jutted out of the water surface and cooled down to form Iceland.

Geographically, Iceland locates on the edge of two big plates of land in mid-Atlantic Ocean. These two land plates move apart at the speed of 2 centimetres each year. Gradually cracks appear. Magma flows into pipes that lead to these cracks and thus smoke of steam is emitted at the weak points and magma begins to ooze out to the vents of volcanoes. In less than 100, 000 square Kilometres of Iceland, there are over 15 volcanoes spreading along the cracks created by the moving plates. In each century, there is an average of 20 explosions.

Iceland ranks the most volcano activities in the world and the recent eruptions (on March 20and in April/May, 2010) of the Eyjafjallajokull (埃亞菲亞德拉火山) have upset the flight of most planes over Europe for weeks and months.