Volcanic Iceland
On average, a volcano erupts in Iceland every five years. Since 2021, however, the frequency has been closer to every 12 months! The area broadly known as Fagradalsfjall, some 35km from the capital Reykjavík, flared to life after a series of earthquakes on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The three eruptions - some consider one single eruption with months-long pauses - mark the beginning of a new geological era on the southwestern peninsula, which has been dormant for the past 800 years.
Unlike most volcanic eruptions -- occurring on the interior highlands, the lava hidden under ice and/or with lethal volumes of volcanic gases -- Fagradalsfjall was the ideal 'tourist volcano': Small in relative terms and accessible for all levels of fitness. The hiking trails on Fagradalsfjall and how to get there from Reykjavík
The last eruption at Fagradalsfjall ended in August 2023, but the site still remains a major attraction. The thick, black crust of lava paves the landscape with crumbling craters and steam.
Read news on current eruptions here
Volcano Watch
Of Iceland’s 32 active volcanoes, none is watched more closely than Katla. One of the nation’s largest and most feared, Katla lies under glacial ice hundreds of meters (yards) thick, meaning that any eruption is likely to melt the ice and cause widespread flooding.
Katla last erupted in 1918 but gained revived attention in recent years with the dystopian Netflix series Katla, largely filmed in the area surrounding Vík.
Iceland's most famous - infamous, even - remains Eyjafjallajökull. The Eyjafjallajokull eruption of 2010 stranded millions of tourists worldwide as it grounded more than 100,000 flights over seven days because of concerns that its volcanic ash would damage aircraft engines.
In 2023, the volcano Askja showed signs of possible eruption. For latest alerts, check the official Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanos and see if any of the 32 active volcanic systems in Iceland has a color code RED (a volcano is considered active if it has erupted in the past 10,000 years). If no volcano is erupting, likely, we won't have to wait too long for the next one since Iceland is one of the most active volcanic regions on the planet.
Where fire meets ice
The nature of eruptions in Iceland is diverse, from small effusive eruptions where lava flows quietly from fissures and crater rows to significant explosive eruptions in ice-covered central volcanos that produce large ash plumes—literally where fire meets ice.
The reason for Iceland's intense volcanic activity is the country's geological position, where dynamic geological forces are at work between the spreading plate boundary on the Mid-Atlantic Ocean ridge and a powerful mantle plume creating a hot spot on the surface. Together, they produce large amounts of magma, filling the gaps in the crust made by the spreading plates, resulting in frequent eruptions along the rift zone.
Below you can find links to eruptions in Iceland in the 21st Century and other volcano-related articles.
The Fagradalsfjall eruption in July 2023
After an 11-month slumber, the Fagradalsfjall Volcano system awoke again at Litli-Hrútur hill
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The Fagradalsfjall 2022 eruption
On 3 August, 2022, the Fagradalsfjall began its latest eruption— just eight months after the la...
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The Fagradalsfjall 2021 eruption
After being dormant for six thousand years, the Fagradalsfjall volcano gave a rumble in 2021. T...
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The 2014 Holuhraun eruption
The 2014-2015 Holuhraun eruption was the largest outbreak in Iceland for over 300 years and las...
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The 2011 and 2004 Grímsvötn eruptions
The ice-covered Grímsvötn is Iceland's most active volcano, erupting every 14 years on average....
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The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruptions
The notorious volcano with the impossible name Eyjafjallajökull erupted twice in 2010 and stopp...
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