...and marked the growing pains of a young ocean. 16 million years ago, North America and Greenland finally split apart from Europe. As the continental plates separated, the North Atlantic was born. It's a process that's far from over, now 5000 kilometers wide, this ocean is still expanding at the speed our fingernails grow. This is happening all along the mid-Atlantic ridge. Occasionally, eruptions here are immense. Volcanoes rise up from the abyss. Iceland is just the tip of one such volcano. Its violent volcanic history is written all across the island. New eruptions happen all the time, adding new territory to this isolated European outpost. These are some of Europe's youngest rocks. The events here in Iceland reflect the violent processes that have helped build Europe over the last 500 million years. Despite their violence and unpredictability, volcanic foundations do have advantages. The Icelanders put all these hot rocks to good use. A borehole sunk deep into the ground taps into all this heat and uses it to power much of the island. And a byproduct of this natural central heating is this—the Blue Lagoon, the biggest hot tub in the world. As the North Atlantic grew, Europe's northwest coast was taking shape. But in the south, the continent was still missing some key ingredients. 16 million years ago, the Alps didn't exist and the Mediterranean coastline looked very different. One last great push was needed to mold the continent, and it came from a neighbor to the south—Africa.
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words and expressions
abyss: (n.) An unfathomable chasm; a yawning gulf. 深淵
outpost: (n.) A detachment of troops stationed at a distance from a main force to guard against surprise attacks. 前哨派
borehole: (n.) A hole that is drilled into the earth, as in exploratory well drilling or in building construction. 鉆孔
tub: (n.) An open, flat-bottomed vessel, usually round and typically wider than it is deep, used for washing, packing, or storing. 盆
take shape: (v.) Also, shape up. Turn out, develop, acquire a distinctive form 成形, 形成
