Have you ever wanted to be at two places at the same time? Well, you can actually make this happen! A shopping mall named Sunnumörk in Southern Iceland is built in such a way that it straddles Europe and North America. Intrigued? Scroll on to know more about this place.
Sunnumörk Shopping Centre, Iceland Straddles North America And Europe
The island country of Iceland lies in Northern Europe and straddles the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates these two continents and snakes right through the island. It is a 65,000km-long underwater boundary that passes through these two continents. Interestingly, Sunnumörk Shopping Centre is built on one of the rifts that separate the tectonic plates of North America and Europe.
Nestled in southern Iceland’s Hveragerði, a hotspot of volcanic and tectonic activity, this shopping mall is not much to look at but is actually a popular tourist attraction in the area. While Hveragerði has hot springs and fumaroles, this shopping mall is famous for the glass-covered crevice that you can find inside and gives a window to scorching lava below, which is also a rift separating North America and Europe.
Also Read: No Airbnbs, Resource Fee, Green Energy Projects; How Iceland Wants To Reshape Its Tourism Policies
More About The Rift That Divides The Two Continents
Reportedly, during the construction of the shopping mall in the early 2000s, the workers found a thin, deep crevice. Upon investigation, officials found that the crack was the boundary between North America and Europe, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. However, it did not deter the construction of the mall and the developers placed glass tiles on the floor so visitors could see the chasm below.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the world’s longest mountain range. While 90% of this range is underwater, it rises above sea level in Iceland. Back in 2008, southern Iceland experienced a 6.3-magnitude earthquake. Subsequently, Sunnumörk Shopping Centre installed an earthquake simulator and exhibition for tourists to get a taste of what an earthquake felt like!
So, if you’re planning a trip to Iceland soon, make a pit stop at this shopping centre to make the dream of being at two places at the same time come true!
Where: XRW5+4WM Sunnumörk, 810 Hveragerði, Iceland
Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/thesunshineexplorers
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