Why are earthquakes frequent in Iceland?

Earthquakes are frequent in Iceland primarily because the country is situated directly over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a tectonic plate boundary that separates the North American and Eurasian plates.1

As these plates diverge, the process of separation is continuous, but the resulting fracturing of the Earth's crust is intermittent, similar to a rubber band being stretched until it snaps. When the tension from this stretching exceeds the strength of the near-surface rocks, the crust fractures along cracks parallel to the rift, triggering earthquake swarms and volcanic activity. Because of this active tectonic setting, Iceland experiences frequent seismic events, though they rarely cause serious damage due to modern building standards that utilize reinforced concrete designed to withstand such shocks.23