In honor of the small but jolting 4.6 earthquake that struck the Reykjanes Peninsula yesterday, I give you a photo of the Mid-Atlantic Rift as seen from national park Thingvellir. The gorge seen the picture is actually the separator between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate, meaning that the people seen on the right hand side of the photo are standing on North America...just kidding. Some people, though, see this ever-growing rift as symbolic of Iceland's divided loyalties: are we Europeans or simply another capitalized US holding? Both, I'd say. But playing two side to gain the middle is always a risky venture. Ask anyone who lives in an earthquake zone...Oh, and here is a simple, concise report on the Rift for the geology buffs among us.
(Photo courtesy of the Linköping University )website.
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