This is where the North American Plate meets the European Plate, where the molten center of the Earth is slowly roiling up like boiling water in a pot, forming new crust, and pushing the two plates away from each other. This process happens in many different places on the Earth, but usually under the ocean. Here, it happens at ground level, where we can see it, pushing the plates apart at an average 2 centimeters per year.
During the 1975 and following lava events, the earth was pushed apart much farther, with lava flowing to fill some of the rifts, and dirt falling into others, like this new gap in the mountain to the east of Mývatn.
All the Earth-fire activity makes for some dramatic scenery up in the hills, such as mud pots (very sulfury-smelling) and hot springs.
The locals used to just hop into the hot springs on a casual basis, but there's a new spa that is being built up around them, so now there's a fee for entry – but there are also showers and a steam bath. The hot lagoon stays open until midnight, which is about when I took this picture, right at sunset.
Yesterday, we went fishing on the lake,
had trout for lunch (and dinner, yummmmm), visited the mud pots and the local geothermal energy plant
and the Dimmuborgir (“Dark Castles”).
Here's a good map at the tourist information center showing where the happy tourist spends the day.
We also got a great tour around the Lake, and Mom got to make music with Finnur and others at two different churches in the area.
We also got to watch replays on the news of Finnur's nephew Baldur make two goals in his latest football (soccer) match. He did a happy-dance for one.
Today, off to Akureyri to get the brakes on the rent-a-wreck looked at, then off to visit the south coast and friends there.
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