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Iceland · Caldera

Laki

Grimsvotn

Type
Caldera
Elevation
1719m
Last eruption
2011
Laki
Photo: Roger McLassus · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Iceland
Region
Atlantic Ocean / Iceland Neovolcanic Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
1719m
Coordinates
64.416, -17.316
Last eruption
2011
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Caldera
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt
Geological summary

Grímsvötn, Iceland's most frequently active volcano in recent history, lies largely beneath the vast Vatnajökull icecap. The caldera lake is covered by a 200-m-thick ice shelf, and only the southern rim of the 6 x 8 km caldera is exposed. The geothermal area in the caldera causes frequent jökulhlaups (glacier outburst floods) when melting raises the water level high enough to lift its ice dam. Long NE-SW-trending fissure systems extend from the central volcano. The most prominent of these is the noted Laki (Skaftar) fissure, which extends to the SW and produced the world's largest known historical lava flow in 1783. The 15 km3 basaltic Laki lavas were erupted over 7 months from a 27-km-long fissure system. Extensive crop damage and livestock losses caused a severe famine that resulted in the loss of one-fifth of the population of Iceland.

From Wikipedia

Laki or Lakagígar is a volcanic fissure in the western part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland, not far from the volcanic fissure of Eldgjá and the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The fissure is properly referred to as Lakagígar, while Laki is a mountain that the fissure bisects. Lakagígar is part of a volcanic system centered on the volcano Grímsvötn, including the volcano Þórðarhyrna. It lies between the glaciers of Mýrdalsjökull and Vatnajökull, in an area of fissures that run in a southwest to northeast direction.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

85 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
8230 BCE~7889 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 64816 BCE~4475 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 03792 BCE~3451 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 02085 BCE~1744 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 2379 BCE~37 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 2646~987 · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?987~1328 · 9 eruptions · max VEI ?1328~1670 · 28 eruptions · max VEI 31670~2011 · 41 eruptions · max VEI 48230 BCE5840 BCE3109 BCE720 BCE1670

Detailed timeline

  1. 2011VEI 4Observed
    2011-05-21 – 2011-05-25
    SW part of the caldera
  2. 2004VEI 3Observed
    2004-11-01 – 2004-11-04
    SW and east sides of caldera
  3. 1998VEI 3Observed
    1998-12-18 – 1998-12-28
    South caldera wall
  4. 1996VEI 3Observed
    1996-09-30 – 1996-11-06
    Gjálp (fissure N of caldera rim)
  5. 1984VEI 0Method not stated
    1984-08-20 – end unknown
  6. 1983VEI 2Observed
    1983-05-28 – 1983-06-02
    Near south caldera wall
  7. 1972VEI 0Method not stated
    1972-03-16 – 1972-04-16
  8. 1954VEI 1Observed
    1954-01-15 – end unknown
  9. 1954VEI 1Method not stated
    1954-07-16 – end unknown
    North and south part of caldera
  10. 1948VEI 0Method not stated
    1948-02-16 – end unknown
  11. 1945VEI 1Method not stated
    1945-09-25 – end unknown
  12. 1941VEI 0Method not stated
    1941-04-16 – 1941-08-16
  13. 1939VEI 0Method not stated
    1939-06-16 – end unknown
  14. 1938VEI 1Observed
    1938-05-16 – end unknown
    8 km N of Svartibunki
  15. 1934VEI 2Observed
    1934-03-30 – 1934-04-07
    Near south caldera wall
  16. 1934VEI ?Method not stated
    1934-12-21 – 1934-12-26
    Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull
  17. 1933VEI 1Observed
    1933-11-29 – 1933-12-09
    North of Grímsvötn caldera
  18. 1922VEI 2Observed
    1922-09-29 – 1922-10-23
  19. 1919VEI 2Method not stated
    1919-07-02 – end unknown
    Volcano Uncertain
  20. 1910VEI ?Observed
    1910-07-02 – end unknown
  21. 1897VEI 2Method not stated
    1897-07-02 – end unknown
    Volcano Uncertain
  22. 1891VEI 2Observed
    1891-11-16 – 1892-03-16
  23. 1883VEI 2Observed
    1883-01-15 – 1883-04-15
  24. 1873VEI 4Observed
    1873-01-08 – 1873-08-16
  25. 1867VEI 1Observed
    1867-08-29 – end unknown
  26. 1861VEI 2Method not stated
    1861-05-16 – end unknown
  27. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854-07-02 – end unknown
  28. 1838VEI 2Observed
    1838-06-16 – end unknown
  29. 1816VEI 2Observed
    1816-05-16 – 1816-06-16
  30. 1794VEI ?Method not stated
    1794-07-15 – end unknown
  31. 1783VEI 4Observed
    1783-05 – 1785-05-26
    Lakagigar (Skaftar) and Grímsvötn
  32. 1774VEI 2Observed
    1774-02 – end unknown
  33. 1768VEI 2Method not stated
    1768 – end unknown
    Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull
  34. 1753VEI 2Observed
    1753-10-15 – end unknown
    NE of Palsfjall
  35. 1730VEI ?Observed
    1730 – end unknown
  36. 1725VEI 2Observed
    1725-02 – end unknown
  37. 1716VEI 2Observed
    1716-10-06 – end unknown
  38. 1706VEI 2Observed
    1706-10-15 – end unknown
  39. 1697VEI ?Observed
    1697 – end unknown
  40. 1684VEI 2Observed
    1684-11-05 – 1685-01
  41. 1681VEI ?Observed
    1681-04-10 – end unknown
    Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull
  42. 1665VEI ?Observed
    1665 – end unknown
  43. 1659VEI 2Observed
    1659-11 – end unknown
  44. 1638VEI 2Observed
    1638-02-24 – end unknown
  45. 1632VEI ?Geological estimate
    1632 – end unknown
  46. 1629VEI 2Observed
    1629 – end unknown
  47. 1622VEI ?Geological estimate
    1622 – end unknown
  48. 1619VEI 2Observed
    1619-07-29 – end unknown
  49. 1610VEI ?Geological estimate
    1610 – end unknown
  50. 1603VEI 2Method not stated
    1603-10-31 – 1603-11
    Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull; possibly Grímsvötn
  51. 1598VEI 3Observed
    1598-11-07 – end unknown
  52. 1530 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1530 – end unknown
  53. 1521VEI ?Geological estimate
    1521 – end unknown
  54. 1510 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1510 – end unknown
  55. 1509VEI ?Geological estimate
    1509 – end unknown
  56. 1500VEI ?Geological estimate
    1500 – end unknown
  57. 1490 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1490 – end unknown
  58. 1471VEI ?Geological estimate
    1471 – end unknown
  59. 1470 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1470 – end unknown
  60. 1469VEI ?Geological estimate
    1469 – end unknown
  61. 1450 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1450 – end unknown
  62. 1430 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1430 – end unknown
  63. 1390 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1390 – end unknown
  64. 1370 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1370 – end unknown
  65. 1369VEI ?Geological estimate
    1369 – end unknown
  66. 1354VEI ?Observed
    1354 – end unknown
  67. 1350VEI ?Geological estimate
    1350 – end unknown
  68. 1341VEI 2Observed
    1341-05 – end unknown
  69. 1332VEI 2Observed
    1332-11 – end unknown
  70. 1310 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1310 – end unknown
  71. 1290 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1290 – end unknown
  72. 1270 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1270 – end unknown
  73. 1230 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1230 – end unknown
  74. 1190VEI ?Geological estimate
    1190 – end unknown
  75. 1150VEI ?Geological estimate
    1150 – end unknown
  76. 1090VEI ?Geological estimate
    1090 – end unknown
  77. 1060VEI ?Geological estimate
    1060 – end unknown
  78. 1010VEI ?Geological estimate
    1010 – end unknown
  79. 960VEI ?Geological estimate
    960 – end unknown
  80. 910VEI ?Geological estimate
    910 – end unknown
  81. 50 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    50 BCE – end unknown
    Halsagigur
  82. 1950 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    1950 BCE – end unknown
    Raudholar and Brunuholar
  83. 3550 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    3550 BCE – end unknown
    S of Thordarhyrna (Bergvatnsarhraun)
  84. 4550 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    4550 BCE – end unknown
    Laki (Botnahraun)
  85. 8230 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI 6Geological estimate
    8230 BCE – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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