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Laki

Grimsvotn

Caldera · Iceland · 1719m

An ash plume rises from a new crater near the southern margin of Grímsvötn caldera in November 2004. Grímsvötn lies largely beneath the vast Vatnajökull icecap and the eruption melted its way through ice about 200 m thick. The plume extends towards the north due to the wind direction, coating the surface of the glacier in dark ash.
An ash plume rises from a new crater near the southern margin of Grímsvötn caldera in November 2004. Grímsvötn lies largely beneath the vast Vatnajökull icecap and the eruption melted its way through ice about 200 m thick. The plume extends towards the north due to the wind direction, coating the surface of the glacier in dark ash. · Photo: Photo by Freysteinn Sigmundsson, 2004 (Nordic Volcanological Center). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Iceland
Region
Atlantic Ocean Volcanic Regions / 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 and 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.

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Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
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 0Geological estimate
    1984-08-20 – Ongoing
  6. 1983VEI 2Observed
    1983-05-28 – 1983-06-02
    Near south caldera wall
  7. 1972VEI 0Geological estimate
    1972-03-16 – 1972-04-16
  8. 1954VEI 1Observed
    1954-01-15 – Ongoing
  9. 1954VEI 1Geological estimate
    1954-07-16 – Ongoing
    North and south part of caldera
  10. 1948VEI 0Geological estimate
    1948-02 – Ongoing
  11. 1945VEI 1Geological estimate
    1945-09-25 – Ongoing
  12. 1941VEI 0Geological estimate
    1941-04 – 1941-08
  13. 1939VEI 0Geological estimate
    1939-06 – Ongoing
  14. 1938VEI 1Observed
    1938-05 – Ongoing
    8 km N of Svartibunki
  15. 1934VEI 2Observed
    1934-03-30 – 1934-04-07
    Near south caldera wall
  16. 1934VEI ?Geological estimate
    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 2Geological estimate
    1919 – Ongoing
    Volcano Uncertain
  20. 1910VEI ?Observed
    1910 – Ongoing
  21. 1897VEI 2Geological estimate
    1897 – Ongoing
    Volcano Uncertain
  22. 1891VEI 2Observed
    1891-11 – 1892-03-16
  23. 1883VEI 2Observed
    1883-01-15 – 1883-04-15
  24. 1873VEI 4Observed
    1873-01-08 – 1873-08
  25. 1867VEI 1Observed
    1867-08-29 – Ongoing
  26. 1861VEI 2Geological estimate
    1861-05 – Ongoing
  27. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854 – Ongoing
  28. 1838VEI 2Observed
    1838-06 – Ongoing
  29. 1816VEI 2Observed
    1816-05 – 1816-06
  30. 1794VEI ?Geological estimate
    1794-07-15 – Ongoing
  31. 1783VEI 4Observed
    1783-05 – 1785-05-26
    Lakagigar (Skaftar) and Grímsvötn
  32. 1774VEI 2Observed
    1774-02 – Ongoing
  33. 1768VEI 2Geological estimate
    1768 – Ongoing
    Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull
  34. 1753VEI 2Observed
    1753-10-15 – Ongoing
    NE of Palsfjall
  35. 1730VEI ?Observed
    1730 – Ongoing
  36. 1725VEI 2Observed
    1725-02 – Ongoing
  37. 1716VEI 2Observed
    1716-10-06 – Ongoing
  38. 1706VEI 2Observed
    1706-10-15 – Ongoing
  39. 1697VEI ?Observed
    1697 – Ongoing
  40. 1684VEI 2Observed
    1684-11-05 – 1685-01
  41. 1681VEI ?Observed
    1681-04-10 – Ongoing
    Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull
  42. 1665VEI ?Observed
    1665 – Ongoing
  43. 1659VEI 2Observed
    1659-11 – Ongoing
  44. 1638VEI 2Observed
    1638-02-24 – Ongoing
  45. 1632VEI ?Geological estimate
    1632 – Ongoing
  46. 1629VEI 2Observed
    1629 – Ongoing
  47. 1622VEI ?Geological estimate
    1622 – Ongoing
  48. 1619VEI 2Observed
    1619-07-29 – Ongoing
  49. 1610VEI ?Geological estimate
    1610 – Ongoing
  50. 1603VEI 2Geological estimate
    1603-10-31 – 1603-11
    Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull; possibly Grímsvötn
  51. 1598VEI 3Observed
    1598-11-07 – Ongoing
  52. 1530 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1530 – Ongoing
  53. 1521VEI ?Geological estimate
    1521 – Ongoing
  54. 1510 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1510 – Ongoing
  55. 1509VEI ?Geological estimate
    1509 – Ongoing
  56. 1500VEI ?Geological estimate
    1500 – Ongoing
  57. 1490 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1490 – Ongoing
  58. 1471VEI ?Geological estimate
    1471 – Ongoing
  59. 1470 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1470 – Ongoing
  60. 1469VEI ?Geological estimate
    1469 – Ongoing
  61. 1450 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1450 – Ongoing
  62. 1430 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1430 – Ongoing
  63. 1390 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1390 – Ongoing
  64. 1370 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1370 – Ongoing
  65. 1369VEI ?Geological estimate
    1369 – Ongoing
  66. 1354VEI ?Observed
    1354 – Ongoing
  67. 1350VEI ?Geological estimate
    1350 – Ongoing
  68. 1341VEI 2Observed
    1341-05 – Ongoing
  69. 1332VEI 2Observed
    1332-11 – Ongoing
  70. 1310 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1310 – Ongoing
  71. 1290 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1290 – Ongoing
  72. 1270 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1270 – Ongoing
  73. 1230 (±10 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1230 – Ongoing
  74. 1190VEI ?Geological estimate
    1190 – Ongoing
  75. 1150VEI ?Geological estimate
    1150 – Ongoing
  76. 1090VEI ?Geological estimate
    1090 – Ongoing
  77. 1060VEI ?Geological estimate
    1060 – Ongoing
  78. 1010VEI ?Geological estimate
    1010 – Ongoing
  79. 960VEI ?Geological estimate
    960 – Ongoing
  80. 910VEI ?Geological estimate
    910 – Ongoing
  81. 50 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    BCE 50 – Ongoing
    Halsagigur
  82. 1950 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    BCE 1950 – Ongoing
    Raudholar and Brunuholar
  83. 3550 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 3550 – Ongoing
    S of Thordarhyrna (Bergvatnsarhraun)
  84. 4550 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 4550 – Ongoing
    Laki (Botnahraun)
  85. 8230 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI 6Geological estimate
    BCE 8230 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.