Europe and Iceland

Latitude and Longitude Ranges

Europe:Latitude: Approx. 37.5 Degrees N. to 67.5 Degrees N. Longitude: Approx. 15 Degrees W. to 30 Degrees E.

Iceland: Latitude: 67 Degrees N. to 62 Degrees N. Longitude: 14 Degrees W. to 23 Degrees W.

Countries in the European and Icelandic Region

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan (European), Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia (European), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan (European), Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey (European), Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City

Bordering Oceans

For both=

Atlantic Ocean

North Atlantic

Arctic Ocean

Large bodies of water

North Sea, English Channel, Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea, Norwegian Sea, Greenland Sea, Denmark Strait, Faza Bay, Barrents Sea, Caspian Sea, Celtic Sea, Irish Sea,

Large Rivers

Europe=

Volga, Don, Dnieper, Tagus, Lorie, Thames, Shannon, Rhine, Oder, Danube, Elbe,

Iceland=

Thjorsa, Jokulsa a Fjollum, Blanda, Lagarfljot, Skjalfandafljot, Hvita,

Elevation Range, highest/lowest points

Iceland:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 meters highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m

Europe:

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Mt. Elbrus 5,642 m

Climate Zones

Europe:

Cfb(Marine West Coast= warm summer, equally spread rainfall year round

Csa(Mediterranean)= dry, hot summer, frost danger in winter

Iceland:

Dwd(Hunid Continental)= very cold,dry winter, cool summer

Ef(Ice Cap) = Perennial ice

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Major topographic features

Europe=

Mesta

Pyrenes

Alps

Kjolen Mts

Scandinavian Shield

Central Russia Upland

Ural Mountains

Caucasus Mts

Balkan Mts

Great Hungarian Plain

Dinaric Alps

Massif Central

Carpathian Mts

Iceland=

Vatnajakull Glacier

Myradalsjokull Glacier

Longjakull Glacier

Hosjakull Glacier

Drangojokull Glacier

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Average monthly temperatures

Iceland=

high: 45.83 Degrees Fahrenheit low: 37. 08 Degrees Farhrenheit

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Europe=

Cfb region: Paris, France

high: 58.5 Degrees Fahrenheit low: 47.41 Degrees Fahrenheit

Csa region: Athens, Greece

low: 71.75 Degrees Fahrenheit high: 56.58 Degrees Fahrenheit

Average monthly rainfall

Iceland=

Dwd region: Reykjavik: 68 mm

Ef region: Myvatn: 4.5 mm

Europe=

Csa region: Athens, Greece: 1.25 inches

Cfb region: Paris, France: 51.83 mm

Average monthly precipitation

Iceland: 66.52 mm

Europe:

Csa region: Athens, Greece: 1.25 inches

Cfb region: Paris, France: 55.08 mm

Factors that affect the Climate

Iceland has a dry and cold winter season and a cool summer. The majority of the major topographic features are glaciers. The southern and western regions of Iceland experience mild winter temperatures because of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. The location and latitude of Iceland affect its climate. Iceland is located in the Northern Hemisphere and is near the Arctic Circle and North Pole. These are some of the reasons why Iceland is cold. The weather in Iceland is mostly influenced by the atmospheric depressions crossing the North Atlantic. These are called "Iceland-lows". The rainfall on the south coast of Iceland is quite high, while in the northern highlands the rainfall is quite low. Winter snowfall occurs mostly in the northern areas of Iceland.Iceland is low a pressure area, which may be the reason why thunderstorms are rare in Iceland.

Prevailing winds blow from the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Europe is typically wet year round and has a dry summer season. Europe is in the Northern Hemisphere and so its location and latitude affect its climate. Europe's variation in vegetation probably is one of the reasons why Europe has a such wide range in climate. Its vegetation varies from ice caps to forest to grasslands. Part of Europe is next to a body of water and this masses of water probably affect the climate of Europe.Europe is both a high and low pressure area. The combination of both high and low pressures is probably the reason why throughout Europe the climate is typically the same. The climate of Europe is strongly affected by the Gulf Stream, because warms it warms the western region of Europe. The tornadoes in Europe also affect its climate.

Geology

Mining Resources

Europe: Uranium, Coal, Tin, Lead, Zinc, Titanium, Iron, Platinum, Oil, Copper, Bauxite, and Silver

Iceland: Oil, Tin, Coal, Lead and Diatomite

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Minerals

These are some of the examples of the minerals found in Europe and Iceland.

Europe:

Italy: Analcime, Anhydrite, Andalusite, Mica, Dolomite, Magnesite, Sulfur, Chalcocite, Olivine, Augite, Pyrite, Limonite, Titanite Sicily: Analcime Spain: Anhydrite, Andalusite, Cinnabar, Pyrite Scotland: Mica Germany: Mica, Limonite, Calcite, Galena, Bismuth, Bornite, Ettringite, Cerussite, Mimetite, Titanite, Smithsonite, Cubanite Austria: Mica, Galena, Epidote, Titanite Finland: Mica Switzerland: Mica, Dolomite, Magnesite, Quartz, Beryl, Prehnite, Danburite, Titanite England: Fluorite, Calcite, Ankerite, Bornite, Hilgardite, Mimetite Luxembourg: Limonite France: Limonite, Calcite, Epidote, Chalcotrichite, Wardite Ireland: Calcite, Ettringite Sweden: Bismuth, Hausmannite, Molybdenite Hungary: Ankerite, Enargite Poland: Bornite Ireland: Calcite, Beryl, Ettringite, Natrolite Scotland: Prehnite, Staurolite Netherlands: Ferberite Norway: Epidote, Datolite Turkey: Orpiment

Iceland: Opal, Mesolite, Stilbite, Calcite, Aragonite

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Rock Types

Europe: By looking at a physical feature map of Europe, you can tell that Europe mainly has metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Metamorphic rocks can form from the weight of overlying rock and the deformation of rock as mountains build. So, metamorphic rocks typically form near mountains. There are many major mountain ranges in Europe, such as the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains, so you know that there are probably metamorphic rocks in Europe. Sedimentary rocks form from the compaction and cementation of existing rocks. The formation of sedimentary rocks form in plains and near river valleys. In Europe, there is the Plain of France and Northern European Plain, which shows that there are sedimentary rocks in Europe. A major river valley in Europe is the Rhine River Valley, where probably a lot of sedimentary rocks form.

Iceland: Just by knowing the physical features of Iceland, you know that the main type of rocks there are extrusive igneous rocks, because of the large amount of volcanoes that are on the island. There are also a lot of hot springs on Iceland, which result from the emergence of groundwater that has passed through or near recently formed, hot, igneous rocks. The extrusive igneous rocks on Iceland are are formed when hot magma from volcanoes cools and becomes solid. You also know that Iceland has metamorphic rocks because Iceland has glaciers where rocks can form from the weight of overlying rock. A major glacier in Iceland is the Vatnajokull glacier.

Tectonic Plates

Relevant Plates

The plates in the Icelandic-European area are the Eurasian Plate, the African Plate, and the North American Plate. The boundary types for the boundaries are: North American/Eurasian: Divergent boundary, Eurasian/African: Mainly divergent, although some is convergent towards the East, and African/North American: Divergent boundary.

Continental Margins

The continental margins in the European and Icelandic regions are on the western, south-western, and northern sides of the Eurasian plate, on the European portion. The margins on the Icelandic region are everything surrounding the island of Iceland, as Iceland itself is only a raised section of the Mid-Ocean Ridge of the Atlantic Ocean.

Volcanoes

The European/Icelandic region does have volcanoes, the ones in Iceland being due to the mid-oceanic ridge in the Atlantic Ocean. The Icelandic volcanoes do have significance, as they heat springs, and a few years ago they erupted, causing mayhem throughout the world, as flights were cancelled, and people were stuck hundreds of miles from home. This also caused the transportation of goods through a huge area surrounding the volcano to have to reroute or not be transported. Another thing that happened is that animals and people, as well as things from the Plant Kingdom, probably died. About 79% of Iceland's area is of recent volcanic origin. The volcanoes in Iceland are basaltic, as they are from oceanic crust in the Atlantic Ocean. The European region's volcanoes are andesitic and rhyolitic.

Earthquakes

The European region does have earthquakes.. While looking at the earthquakes that occur in Europe, it is noticed that almost all noticeable earthquakes tend to occur in the Italian area. For example, the earthquake that hit Messina, Italy in December 28, 1908 had a magnitude of 7.2. The earthquake of Messina had over 70,000 deaths. Another example of an Italian earthquake is the earthquake that occurred in Sicily on January 11, 1693. Since the earthquake occurred in 1693 the magnitude is unavailable, but there were 60,000 deaths. Another Italian earthquake was on February 4, 1783 in Calabria, Italy. The magnitude of this earthquake is also unavailable, but there were 50,000 deaths. While looking at a volcanic map, I saw that there were quite a few volcanoes near or on Italy and since earthquakes can result in the eruption of an volcano, it is very likely that these earthquakes were formed from the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. A more recent, but still Italian earthquake was on April 6, 2009 in Central Valley with a magnitude of 6.3. Another example of another recent and European earthquake, is on that occurred on October 23, 2011 in Eastern Turkey with a magnitude of 7.1. An earthquake that struck on October 20, 1930, in Italy had a magnitude of 6.6. Here are some examples of some even more recent earthquakes. In southern Greece, struck on April 4, 2012, with a magnitude of 5.5. Another earthquake struck in western Turkey on April 1, 2012, with a magnitude of 4.5. In eastern Turkey, an earthquake struck on April 18, 2012, with a magnitude of 4.5. Here are some more examples of earthquakes that happened a while ago. On July 12, 1900, an earthquake struck Turkey with a magnitude of 5.9. On March 9, 1902, an earthquake struck Turkey with a magnitude of 5.5. On August 11, 1903, an earthquake struck Greece with a magnitude of 8.3. On November 8, 1905, an earthquake struck Greece with a magnitude of 6.8. On June 11, 1909, an earthquake struck France with a magnitude of 6.2.

http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/region.cfm?rnum=01 ^[7]

The Icelandic region generally does not have very many notable earthquakes. While looking at a map of the earthquakes that occur in Iceland, the majority of the earthquakes occur along southwest border and a few occur closer to the eastern and northern border. A more recent earthquake that occurred in southwestern Iceland struck on May 29, 2008 with a magnitude of 6.3. Another earthquake hit southern Iceland on June 17 and 21, 2000 with a magnitude of 6.5-6.6. A more recent earthquake was actually extremely recently, April 21, 2012, with a magnitude of 1.4. This earthquake was southeast of Grimsey. Another recent earthquake hit on April 20,2012, with a magnitude of 3.0, this earthquake was southeast of Basar. An earthquake that struck on April 19, 2012, had a magnitude of 1.1 and occurred southwest of Hestfjall. While searching earthquakes that have occurred in Iceland, there was a drastic difference between the amount that Iceland had the amount Europe had. An earthquake that occurred on May 6, 1912, had a magnitude of 7.0. Here are few more recent earthquakes that occurred in Iceland. On April 22, 2012, an earthquake struck northwest of Husavik with a magnitude 1.7. On April 22, 2012, an earthquake struck west of Prengsli with a magnitude of 0.8. Another earthquake that struck on April 22, 2012, had a magnitude of 0.7. stuck southeast of Keilr. Another earthquake that stuck on April 22, 2012, had a magnitude of 0.8 and occurred northeast of Gooabunga.

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/more-earthquakes-iceland-today-0 ^[8]