Iceland Within the Northern Atlantic, Volume 2

The volcanic island of Iceland is a unique geological place due both to its position in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and its repeated glaciations. It has been an accurate recorder of geodynamic and regional climatic evolutions for at least the last 15 million years. This book studies the Quaternary magmatism associated with the deep Iceland hotspot and, in particular, its distinctive geochemical and volcanological characteristics. It also analyzes that Arctic glacierization as it relates to the opening of the North Atlantic and the appearance of today’s ocean currents. We will also investigate the Quaternary glaciation as it affected Iceland in its oceanic context, particularly on the basis of radiometric dating, looking at the formation of the Greenland and Scandinavian ice sheets and data from marine sediment. Finally, it explores the specific environmental features of the island, from the end of the last ice age to global warming today. This book brings together the internal and external geodynamics of our planet to understand how Iceland functions and its role as a recorder of the paleoclimatic evolution of the Northern Hemisphere.