Brú milli heimsálfa(Bridge between continents. Miðlína. 행운아 레이프 다리) 안내. 아이슬란드(Iceland)

Brú milli heimsálfa

(Bridge between continents. Miðlína. 행운아 레이프 다리) 안내.

아이슬란드(Iceland)

visitreykjanes.is

Bridge between Continents (Brú Milli Heimsalfa)

The Bridge between Continents lies across a canyon that was formed due to the movements of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

The Reykjanes peninsula lies on the boundary between these two tectonic plates, which are continuously drifting apart. The rift between the plates manifests itself on the surface as canyons or crevices. It is estimated that the plates drift around 2 cm a year, or 2 m over a period of 100 years, in opposite directions.

The bridge was formally opened on 3 July 2002. Beside serving a symbolic purpose, it is meant to illustrate the phenomeonon of continental drift.

The bridge is 18 metres long and stretches across the canyon at a height of around 6 metres.

Among the many places of interest close to the Bridge between Continents are Gunnuhver, Iceland's largest mudpot; Hafnarhver, the largest seabird colony along the Reykjanes peninsula; and Reykjanes, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rises from the sea. Nowhere else in the world can you stand on the ridge and see land rise from the sea, with the attendant open fissures and faults that can be seen all over the Reykjanes peninsula.

We ask visitors to respect the environment:

- Follow marked paths

- Don't tamper with geological formations

- Avoid removing rocks or erecting cairns

- Don't harm vegetation

- Always leave the area as you would like to find it

- Don't throw away waste; take it with you or dispose of it in wate bin

Share your Reykjanes experience

The boy in the photograph is Daniel Alexandersson from Reykjanesbaer.

His idea was to pose for a picture of him "holding" the Bridge between Continents, and he hopes that other will do the same and share their picture on social media site. The path to the left was laid to make in easier for you to take a picture like the on Daniel took.

You are welcome to use our hashtags when you share your Reykjanes experience on social media sites.

#reykjanes #visitreykjanes #reykjanesgeopark

! Warning

Avoid getting too close to the wall of the canyon to avoid falling rocks.

Welcome to the Eurasian plate

Imagine yourself standing on the Eurasian plate, Earth's largest continental tectonic plate. The plate contains some of the oldest rock formation in the earth's crust, in East Siberia on the most expansive plains on Earth.

The North American plate is drifting to the west away from the Eurasian plate, widening the Atlantic Ocean in the process. In the east, the Pacific and Philippine plates flow under the Eurasian plate and form an arc of volcanic islands. In the south, the Indian and Australian plates are drifting to the north. The collision of these plates forms the highest mountain range on Earth, the Himalayas.

Approximately 75% of the human population lives on the Eurasian plate. Their distribution, however, is not even. Most live in Europe, India, China and in South-East Asia. These areas, moreover, are the most densely populated areas on Earth.

Tokyo is the most densely populated city on the Eurasian plate (population in 2011 was 35.7 million). The highest mountain in Mt. Everest in Nepal (8,850 m above sea level), while the greatest depth is in the Galathea Depth (10,540 m below sea level).

Earth's tectonic plates

The earth's crust is divided into seven large plates and around ten smaller ones. The plates have been moulding the surface of earth for millennia. They are approximately 50-20 km in thickness and float on top of the mantle.

Iceland is partly on the North American plate and partly on the Eurasian plate. The North American plate contains the North American continent, and the Eurasian plate contains the continents of Europe & Asia. one could say, therefore, that this is the point that divide the east from the west.

The plates drift in opposite directions, around 2 cm a year, or 2 m over a period of 100 years. A rift zone forms at the point at which the plates drift apart. Earthquake, troughs and fold mountains, eruptions and faults are common in these unstable areas.

Most of the plate boundaries are at the bottom of the oceans and form mid-ocean ridges, mountain ranges that are around 2,000-4,000 m high and which have a total length of 70,000 km. one of these ridges, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, rises out of the ocean here on the Reykjanes peninsula. Iceland and East Africa are the only places where it is possible to see the plate boundaries on land.

You can obtain a personalised certificate stating that you have "crossed the continental divide" in Information Centres throughout the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Jardvangur · Reykjanes · Geopark · Iceland

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