Iceland

A divergent fault occurs when convection currents in the mantle carry two tectonic plates away from each other. Molten lava often rushes in to fill the gap, but rarely fills it completely. This is what is happening in Iceland. The entire island is gradually separating into two parts, at a rate of centimeters a year. This is caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian plates, which are splitting along the line of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  

Divergent faults tend to be accompanied by mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys, earthquakes, and  volcanoes. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of a mid-ocean ridge caused by a divergent fault. Rift valleys are like what is currently splitting Iceland. The most recent earthquake in Iceland occurred in 2008 and was a 6.3. The most recent volcanic eruption, of Eyjafjallajokull, occurred in 2010 and shut down air travel in much of Europe for a week because of a cloud of "ash mist" which spread through Europe. 

Today I stood on the crest rift valley which is slowly splitting Iceland, at Thingvellir. I also visited Thingvallavatn, the largest lake in Iceland. Tomorrow I will travel to Eyjafjallajokull and hike on the ice cap which covers the caldera of the volcano.