Thingvellir National Park in Iceland is an area where two tectonic plates meet, creating a huge rift in the surface! (Photo From earthquakes to volcano hot spots, mountain ranges to mid-ocean hydrothermal vents, there is one feature in common.
Tectonic plates.
These giant, continental-sized sections of the Earth's crust are in constant motion. Constant VERY slow motion, perhaps, but constant motion all the same. Day to day, we rarely notice it. But over millions of years?
Tectonic plates have literally changed the face of the planet. They've ripped old continents apart and formed brand new ones from random pieces. They squeezed raging seas into oblivion, then built the world's largest oceans. From deserts to swamps, grasslands to ice lands, everything on Earth is changing. In fact, active plate tectonics is perhaps the biggest difference between a living world (ours) and a dead one (Venus or Mars).
Watch and be amazed!
Of course, it sure would be neat to actually be able to watch this motion happen, rather than just trusting that that is how it all works. Well, maybe now you can.
A group of geoscientists came together to create a 40-second time lapse of the last billion years of tectonic movement. At this speed, the movement is staggering. You won't believe how far our continents have traveled!
Press play below and be ready to be astounded!
