The Bridge Between Two Continents – Iceland

When we visited the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2016, we found one of Iceland’s extraordinary places: The Bridge Between Two Continents

This short metal walkway stretches across a narrow, rocky raving. The ravine marks a section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates slowly pull apart. Iceland is the only country where this rift rises above sea level, and on this peninsula, you can stand right at the edge of two diverging continents.

Iceland straddles two plates and grows outward year by year. On one side, you’re standing on the North American Plate and just a few steps away, you’re on the Eurasian Plate. The landscape surrounding the Bridge Between Two Continents stretches out in sheets of hardened black lava and streaks of black lava. The rock is sharp and fractured and a reminder of the many eruptions that built this peninsula layer by layer.