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Iceland is a country of many contrasts. Although it contains Europe's largest glacier, its coasts remain ice-free due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. Perched atop the Mid-Atlantic ridge on the edge of the Eurasian and North American plates, Iceland keeps sliding along the ridge. It has so much volcanic activity that its main source of power is geothermal, and there are an abundance of geysers (our English word is derived from Geysir).
Interestingly, there aren't any native reptiles or amphibians, and the arctic fox was the only mammal on the island when humans are documented to have arrived. Aspens, birches, rowans, and junipers abound. Björk may be the most well-known Icelandic musician!
Key to the map above :
Dotted areas are sediment
White areas are locations of active volcanoes
Pink is bedrock younger than .7 million years
Brown/green is rock .7 - 3.1 million years
Blue is bedrock older than 3.1 million years.
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