By: magic-gigapans
Image: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image Collection
License: Creative Commons Non Commercial ⧉

Uploaded: 20 Apr 2020
Last Updated: 28 May 2020

163 megapixels
31,342 x 5,198 pixels
104.5 in X 17.3 in at 300dpi

Flowing through the rift valley of Þingvellir, the Öxará River is habitat for ducks and geese of several varieties. Here, it flows into Þingvallavatn, the lake at far right (south). The river flows here into the Þingvellir rift valley from the west; essentially the view is from the North American Plate across the Mid-Atlantic Rift to the Eurasian Plate on the other side. Over geologic time, this valley will grow wider and wider, at a rate of about 1.5 cm - 2 cm per year. Normal fault scarps can be seen on the left (where all the tourists are walking).