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Iceland · Stratovolcano

Askja

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
1080m
Last eruption
1961
Askja
Photo: User Wolfgangbeyer on de.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Iceland
Region
Atlantic Ocean / Iceland Neovolcanic Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
1080m
Coordinates
65.033, -16.783
Last eruption
1961
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt
Geological summary

Askja is a large basaltic central volcano that forms the Dyngjufjöll massif. It is truncated by three overlapping calderas, the largest of which is 8 km wide and may have been produced primarily from subglacial ring-fracture eruptions rather than by subsidence. A major rhyolitic explosive eruption from Dyngjufjöll about 10,000 years ago was in part associated with the formation of Askja caldera. Many postglacial eruptions also occurred along the ring-fracture. A major explosive eruption on the SE caldera margin in 1875 was one of Iceland's largest during historical time. It resulted in the formation of a smaller 4.5-km-wide caldera, now filled by Öskjuvatn lake, that truncates the rim of the larger central caldera. The 100-km-long Askja fissure swarm, which includes the Sveinagja graben, is also related to the Askja volcanic system, as are several small shield volcanoes such as Kollatadyngja. Twentieth-century eruptions have produced lava flows from vents located mostly near Öskjuvatn lake.

From Wikipedia

Askja ( ) is an active volcano situated in a remote part of the central highlands of Iceland. The name Askja refers to a complex of nested calderas within the surrounding Dyngjufjöll mountains, which rise to 1,514 m (4,967 ft), askja meaning box or caldera in Icelandic.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

14 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
8910 BCE~8548 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 52387 BCE~2025 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01300 BCE~938 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01236~1599 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 11599~1961 · 10 eruptions · max VEI 58910 BCE6373 BCE3474 BCE938 BCE1599

Detailed timeline

  1. 1961VEI 2Observed
    1961-10-26 – 1961-12-05
    North of Öskjuvatn lake (Vikraborgir)
  2. 1938VEI 2Observed
    1938-12-19 – end unknown
    South shore of Öskjuvatn lake
  3. 1926VEI 2Observed
    1926-07-15 – end unknown
    South end of Öskjuvatn lake
  4. 1924VEI 0Observed
    1924-07-02 – end unknown
    South flank of Dyngjufjöll massif
  5. 1923VEI 0Observed
    1923-01-15 – end unknown
    SE corner of Öskjuvatn Caldera
  6. 1922VEI 0Observed
    1922-11-16 – end unknown
    1 km SW of Öskjuvatn Caldera
  7. 1921VEI 0Observed
    1921-03-16 – end unknown
    NE caldera wall, 0.6 km SE of Viti
  8. 1919VEI 2Observed
    1919-07-02 – end unknown
    Dyngjufjöll
  9. 1875VEI 5Observed
    1875-01-01 – 1875-10-17
    Öskjuvatn Caldera, Viti, Sveinagja
  10. 1797VEI 0Observed
    1797 – end unknown
    Holuhraun
  11. 1300VEI 1Geological estimate
    1300 – end unknown
    South of Dyngjufjöll Ytri
  12. 1250 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    1250 BCE – end unknown
    Litladynga and Askja
  13. 2050 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    2050 BCE – end unknown
    Flatadyngja, other areas NE of Dyngjufjöll
  14. 8910 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 5Geological estimate
    8910 BCE – end unknown
    SE part of Askja caldera

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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