RE: Geology of Iceland - Part 3: an island being ripped apart
Interesting that you'd mention this.
At the 1939 international geological conference in Frankfurt that addressed the early discussion of the continental drift theory (although led by opposers), a scientist names F. Bernauer presented his research on "Island und die Frage der Kontinentalverschiebung" (Iceland and the question of continental displacement). He made the suggestion that the Reykjanes Ridge and Mid-Atlantic Ridge had a common origin. He therefore proposed that the continents drifted apart along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge but (also being an opposer of continental drift) only to the extend of the modern volcanic activity on Iceland, so 100-200 km. He did not support the theory from A. Wegener, in which the Mid-Atlantic rift would have formed the complete seafloor.
summarized from : Frankel, H.R. (2012). The Continental Drift Controversy. Volume I: Wegener and the Early Debate. Cambridge. p. 408-409
It took the discovery of the global mid-ocean rift system and the magnetic polarity changes across the seafloor that strengthened the continental drift theory into acceptance.
Makes sense that Iceland was mentioned in the context of that theory, it would be hard to find a clearer example. I guess it makes sense that the theory had quite a lot of resistance, continents floating around does seem like a crazy idea