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Iceland · Caldera

Krafla

Type
Caldera
Elevation
800m
Last eruption
1984
Krafla
Photo: Andreas Tille · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Iceland
Region
Atlantic Ocean / Iceland Neovolcanic Rift Volcanic Province
Elevation
800m
Coordinates
65.715, -16.728
Last eruption
1984
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Cluster
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt

Geological summary

The Krafla volcanic system in the Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ) of Iceland is about 100 km long, consisting of a fissure swarm and a central volcano with a 7 x 9 km caldera formed about 110,000 years ago that deposited a rhyolitic welded tuff.

Excerpt from the Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution · Read the full summary on GVP →

From Wikipedia

Krafla is a volcanic caldera of about 10 km (6.2 mi) in diameter with a 90 km (56 mi) long fissure zone. It is located in the north of Iceland in the Mývatn region and is situated on the Iceland hotspot atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which forms the divergent boundary between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Its highest peak reaches up to 818 m (2,684 ft) and it is 2 km (1.2 mi) in depth. There have been 29 reported eruptions in recorded history.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

23 recordedGlossary

Record summary

Confirmed eruptions
23
Uncertain eruptions
0
Span of confirmed record
8500 BCE – 1984
Largest confirmed eruption
VEI 4 (650 BCE)
Confirmed eruptions since 1900
6
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
8500 BCE~8151 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 07102 BCE~6753 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 26753 BCE~6403 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?3258 BCE~2909 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 0812 BCE~462 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 4113 BCE~237 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 2237~586 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 0586~936 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01285~1635 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21635~1984 · 12 eruptions · max VEI 28500 BCE6054 BCE3258 BCE812 BCE1635

Detailed timeline

  1. 1984VEI 0Observed
    1984-09-04 – 1984-09-18
    Leirhnjúkur to 8.5 km north
  2. 1981VEI 0Observed
    1981-01-30 – 1981-02-04
    6-8 km N of Leirhnjúkur
  3. 1981VEI 0Observed
    1981-11-18 – 1981-11-23
    Leirhnjúkur to 9 km north
  4. 1980VEI 0Observed
    1980-03-16 – 1980-10-23
    Leirhnjúkur to 11 km north
  5. 1977VEI 1Observed
    1977-04-27 – 1977-09-08
    3 km north of Leirhnjúkur
  6. 1975VEI 0Observed
    1975-12-20 – 1975-12-20
    1.5-2.5 km north of Leirhnjúkur
  7. 1746VEI 1Observed
    1746-07-10 – 1746-07-10
    Leirhnjúkur crater row
  8. 1729VEI 2Observed
    1729-06-30 – 1729-09-25
    Leirhnjúkur crater row
  9. 1728VEI 2Observed
    1728-04-18 – end unknown
    Leirhnjúkur, Hrossadalur, Bjarnarflag
  10. 1728VEI 2Observed
    1728-12-18 – end unknown
    Leirhnjúkur crater row
  11. 1727VEI 2Observed
    1727-08-21 – end unknown
    North end of Leirhnjúkur
  12. 1724VEI 2Observed
    1724-05-17 – 1724-05-18
    Víti (1.5 km east of Leirhnjúkur)
  13. 1300 (±200 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    1300 – end unknown
    Crater south of Víti
  14. 850VEI 0Geological estimate
    850 – end unknown
    Daleldar, Svortuborgir
  15. 250 (±300 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    250 – end unknown
    Kerlingarholar
  16. 50 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    50 BCE – end unknown
    Holseldar
  17. 500 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    500 BCE – end unknown
    North of Hverfjall
  18. 650 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    650 BCE – end unknown
    Hverfjall, Jarbadsholar
  19. 3050 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    3050 BCE – end unknown
    Hvannstód
  20. 6500 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    6500 BCE – end unknown
    Kröfluhalshraun
  21. 6800 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    6800 BCE – end unknown
    Hveragil
  22. 6850 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    6850 BCE – end unknown
    Bondholshraun, Hveragil
  23. 8500 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    8500 BCE – end unknown
    Gjastykkisbunga

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.