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Hverarönd

Krafla

Caldera · Iceland · 800m

The Krafla central volcano, located NE of Mývatn lake, is a topographically indistinct 9-km-wide caldera that is cut by a N-S-trending fissure system. This view from the south looks toward the center of the caldera with the rhyolitic lava dome of Hlidarfjall on the left and prominent fissures cutting across the caldera at the right.
The Krafla central volcano, located NE of Mývatn lake, is a topographically indistinct 9-km-wide caldera that is cut by a N-S-trending fissure system. This view from the south looks toward the center of the caldera with the rhyolitic lava dome of Hlidarfjall on the left and prominent fissures cutting across the caldera at the right. · Photo: Photo by Michael Ryan, 1984 (U.S. Geological Survey). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Iceland
Region
Atlantic Ocean Volcanic Regions / 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. It has been moderately active in the Holocene, over three distinct eruptive periods; the current one has lasted about 2,800 years with six volcano-tectonic episodes, each with one or more basaltic fissure eruptions. Lava volumes (DRE) have been in the 0.1-1 km3 range. The Hverfjall and Ludent tuff rings east of Myvatn were erupted along the fissure system. Myvatn lake formed during the eruption of the older Laxarhraun lava flow from the Ketildyngja shield volcano of the Fremrinamur volcanic system about 3,800 years before present (BP); The present Myvatn lake is constrained by the roughly 2,000 years BP younger Laxarhraun lava flow from the Krafla volcanic system. The abundant pseudocraters that form a prominent part of the Myvatn landscape were created when the younger Laxarhraun lava flow entered the lake. The last eruption took place in 1975-1984 CE when nine small basaltic fissure eruptions produced 0.25 km3 of lava.

From Wikipedia

Hverfjall is a tephra cone or tuff ring volcano in northern Iceland, to the east of Mývatn.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
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 – Ongoing
    Leirhnjúkur, Hrossadalur, Bjarnarflag
  10. 1728VEI 2Observed
    1728-12-18 – Ongoing
    Leirhnjúkur crater row
  11. 1727VEI 2Observed
    1727-08-21 – Ongoing
    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 – Ongoing
    Crater south of Víti
  14. 850VEI 0Geological estimate
    850 – Ongoing
    Daleldar, Svortuborgir
  15. 250 (±300 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    250 – Ongoing
    Kerlingarholar
  16. 50 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    BCE 50 – Ongoing
    Holseldar
  17. 500 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 500 – Ongoing
    North of Hverfjall
  18. 650 BCEVEI 4Geological estimate
    BCE 650 – Ongoing
    Hverfjall, Jarbadsholar
  19. 3050 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 3050 – Ongoing
    Hvannstód
  20. 6500 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 6500 – Ongoing
    Kröfluhalshraun
  21. 6800 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    BCE 6800 – Ongoing
    Hveragil
  22. 6850 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    BCE 6850 – Ongoing
    Bondholshraun, Hveragil
  23. 8500 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 8500 – Ongoing
    Gjastykkisbunga

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.