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Iceland · Stratovolcano

Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajokull

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
1651m
Last eruption
2010
Eyjafjallajökull
Photo: Joschenbacher · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Iceland
Region
Atlantic Ocean / Iceland Neovolcanic Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
1651m
Coordinates
63.633, -19.633
Last eruption
2010
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt
Geological summary

Eyjafjallajökull (also known as Eyjafjöll) is located west of Katla volcano. It consists of an elongated ice-covered stratovolcano with a 2.5-km-wide summit caldera. Fissure-fed lava flows occur on both the E and W flanks, but are more prominent on the western side. Although the volcano has erupted during historical time, it has been less active than other volcanoes of Iceland's eastern volcanic zone, and relatively few Holocene lava flows are known. An intrusion beneath the S flank from July-December 1999 was accompanied by increased seismic activity. The last historical activity prior to an eruption in 2010 produced intermediate-to-silicic tephra from the central caldera during December 1821 to January 1823.

Eruption history

5 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
550~696 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?842~988 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 31572~1718 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21718~1864 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21864~2010 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 4550842128015721864

Detailed timeline

  1. 2010VEI 4Observed
    2010-03-20 – 2010-06-23
    ENE flank (Fimmvörduháls) and summit
  2. 1821VEI 2Observed
    1821-12-19 – 1823-01-01
  3. 1612VEI 2Observed
    1612 – end unknown
  4. 920VEI 3Geological estimate
    920 – end unknown
    NW flank (Skerin ridge)
  5. 550VEI ?Geological estimate
    550 – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.