The Plate Tectonic Tour
By: Rebecca Hill
San Francisco
San Francisco is one of the top tourist attractions in the United States! It is home to Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Union Square. Don't let the beautiful San Francisco Bay fool you though. 14 earthquakes have occurred since 1835. This is due to the fact that San Francisco sits under a major transforming plate boundary. This plate boundary created the San Andreas fault which is 5 hours and 18 minutes from San Francisco by car. You will be traveling 1464 miles through the air for about 3 hours and 48 minutes.
*This is a topographic map of San Francisco. The places where it seems to jump out of the map have a higher elevation than the flatter part meaning that there are mountains or hill in this area.
Iceland
Iceland isn't what it sounds like as temperatures there are mild temperatures year round. In Iceland you can find various puffin tours as it is the place where 60% of all puffins are bred. You will be visiting Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. In Reykjavík you will find the Golden Circle a waterfall/geyser. You will also be visiting the National Museum of Iceland where you will learn about the culture and heritage of the island. Iceland is also the place to be if you want to see what a mid Atlantic ridge looks like from above. The ridge is caused by the diverging plate boundary that Iceland is located on. The diverging plate boundary is what causes Iceland to be home to many volcanoes (130 to be exact). Reykjavík also has mild earthquakes from time to time, but because they aren't severe they haven't been recorded.
Travel time from DFW: At least 12 hours with 3756 miles to cover