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The South Iceland Seismic Zone is aligned E-W across the Southern Lowlands. The earthquake faults have N-S direction. So why is that? It can be easily explained according to the framework of mantle convection cells between the edge of the Western Volcanic Zone on one hand and the edge of the Eastern Volcanic Zone on the other. This leads to the fact you can almost use the system of faults as a compass!  As convection takes place 120 km below the surface, the regularity found within the top 10 km of brittle crust is just amazing. The South Iceland Seismic Zone is one of the clearest manifestations of the mantle current system within the Earth.

The so called Westfjords of NW Iceland form together a coastlinie with the same direction as the volcanic zones in the southern half of the country. It has been explained by Björn Harðarson that this is due to the fact that an extinct volcanic zone is found just outside the peninsulas of this coastline. There are so many things about geologic history you can see on an ordinary map!

The most powerful hotspring in the world, Deildartunguhver, must have something special about it. If not, it would not be no. 1 with its 180 liters of almost boiling hot water per second. At the site, a modest sign stating the world record was put up there a couple of years ago. Is it possible to explain why this hotspring appears there in the West of Iceland? Yes, it is possible. The mantle convection currents are mirrored around the volcano Katla, reaching equadistance to Kverkfjöll and Deildartunguhver. Kverkfjöll and Deildartunguhver are in turn on the same latitude. Sounds complex? No – this triangle is not difficult to see on a map.

A part of Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hotspring in the world.

The position compared to Kverkfjöll and Katla is obviously Symmetrical. In addition, the connection between Deildartunguhver and the Reykjanes Ridge can be easily traced along the relevant convection cell division line to the SW.

There are two Snæfells in Iceland. One is known as Snæfellsjökull on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the other is Snæfell north of Vatnajökull Glacier. Those two mountains represent the two extremes to the West and East of Iceland, and they are exactly on the same latitude. The distance from those two mountains to Hekla is exactly the same! Can that be explained? The answer is yes, it can be explained rather easily. This mirror effect of landscape is quite extraordinary, but examples like this one make it easier to explain the magma current under the crust of Iceland. Try to have a look at these two mountains on Google maps and compare them 🙂

Traveling along the 64th parallel in Iceland is fascinating. It is the latitude of volcanoes, from Hengill with two power plants at its side to Hekla, Laki and Öraefajökull volcano. And why is this latitude so active? It is one of the topics I deal with and have explained by referring to the convection current system.