Skip to main content

Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajokull

Stratovolcano · Iceland · 1651m

The summit ridge of Eyjafjallajökull is seen here in 1992 from the NW with a steep-sloped valley glacier descending at the left toward the Markafljot plain. The summit is truncated by a 2.5-km-wide, ice-filled caldera breached to the north (towards bottom left). Prior to 2010, the last eruption known from Eyjafjallajökull was during December 1821 to January 1823.
The summit ridge of Eyjafjallajökull is seen here in 1992 from the NW with a steep-sloped valley glacier descending at the left toward the Markafljot plain. The summit is truncated by a 2.5-km-wide, ice-filled caldera breached to the north (towards bottom left). Prior to 2010, the last eruption known from Eyjafjallajökull was during December 1821 to January 1823. · Photo: Photo by Oddur Sigurdsson, 1992 (Icelandic National Energy Authority). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Iceland
Region
Atlantic Ocean Volcanic Regions / 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

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
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 – Ongoing
  4. 920VEI 3Geological estimate
    920 – Ongoing
    NW flank (Skerin ridge)
  5. 550VEI ?Geological estimate
    550 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.