Question

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge crosses through Iceland. Physical features such as tensional fractures and cinder cone volcanoes are all aligned NE-SW. What does this indicate about the directions the tectonic plates are moving?

Answer 1

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a large zone of divergence in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. It surfaces on land on Iceland. It is the region where the Eurasian and African plates are moving away from the North and South American plates. This trend in the pattern of volcanoes and tensional features indicate that the plates are moving away from each other in the direction NW-SE.