In recent days (March 2021), the news has been buzzing about volcanoes, earthquakes and a potential volcanic eruption in Iceland. The area in question this time is the Reykjanes Peninsula. There have been over 17,000 earthquakes shaking Reykjavik and the surrounding areas. Some earthquakes have even reached 5.6 on the Richter scale. So I thought this would be a good chance to discuss the most recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland and discuss the likelihood of another eruption…soon.
BREAKING NEWS: As of 4pm today (3rd of March 2021) a press conference was held to discuss the likelihood of an imminent eruption. It would seem that the chances of an eruption are now very real. The local residents in the area have been evacuated as a precaution. When and how the volcano will erupt is yet to be determined. The warning signs suggest that an eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Keilir Mountain is the most likely scenario if an eruption were to occur. In the event of an eruption in this area, it seems that lava flow (effusive eruption), rather than an explosive eruption, is likely to take place. This is less likely to affect flights in and out of Iceland despite its close proximity to the airport.
UPDATE (8th March 2021) : Despite all the excitement of the past week it would seem that things are less imminent than initially thought. However, there are still hundreds of earthquakes going off in the same area so who knows what’s going to happen in the coming days, weeks and months.
Iceland, in recent years, is more known for its volcanic activity than its glaciers despite the name. Locals often quip that Eldland (meaning fire land in Icelandic) would be a more appropriate name. Considering there are around 130 volcanoes in Iceland I think this wouldn’t be a bad name indeed. Especially since Iceland’s new nickname is ‘The Land of Fire and Ice’. In fact, one of our biggest selling tours South Coast: Fire & Ice was inspired by Iceland’s volcanic past. During this trip we skirt around the famous Eyjafjallajökull and check out the Icelandic Lava Show before walking to the front of the Sólheimajökull glacier.
DISCLAIMER: Do not take anything in this blog post as a useful predictor for the next volcanic eruption.
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Helen María Björnsdóttir of Local Guide of Vatnajökull who provided many of the pictures.
VOLCANOES IN ICELAND
CONTENTS:
- Is a volcano about to erupt?
- How often do volcanoes erupt in Iceland?
- Eyjafjallajökull and other recent eruption
- Historic eruptions
- Eldfell volcano on the Westman Islands
1. Is a volcano about to erupt?
Let’s discuss the elephant in the room before we jump into Iceland’s volcanic past.
Is the recent flurry of earthquakes a precursor to a volcanic eruption? Well, in a word, yes. It certainly can be. Does that mean it will? Not necessarily. Personally, with all the ups and downs we’re feeling right now I wouldn’t be willing to predict one way or another.
Saying that, this level of seismic activity ‘can’ be one of the factors in determining if a volcano is going to erupt. However, on any given day in Iceland there are dozens of small earthquakes across the country. And over the past few years there have been similar earthquake swarms in other parts of the island which resulted in no eruption. The most recent, aside from the ongoing one right now, was in the exact opposite side of the country in the north east last year. The same thing occurred in the south east in 2017. These were all unconnected volcanic system.
Many other factors are taken into account for the likelihood of a volcanic eruption. Earthquakes are of course a big one but change in land elevation, temperature change, increased gas release and melting ice if under a glacier are also contributing indicators.
At the moment, aside from taking down breakables and checking wall fixtures, things seem to be business as usual. Earthquakes are a normal part of life here in Iceland and the early warning systems that are currently in place are quite sophisticated indeed.
However, on the 1st of March 2021, Fréttablaðið, reported that magma was potentially on the move underground near an isolated area called Keilir. This is a key sign in potential eruptions. Again, it doesn’t guarantee an eruption though.
Thankfully, if this was to be the eruption site, there are no settlements here.
Effectively, an eruption could happen in this area in the future but bear in mind that the last time there was an eruption in this area was over 700 years ago. So it could be soon or not at all.
If you are interested in monitoring the situation more closely over the coming weeks then the Icelandic Meteorological Office updates a few times per day.
If you want to visit this geothermally active part of Iceland for yourself you can join our Reykjanes & Lava Tunnel tour. On this day trip, we venture into a real life lava tunnel from an eruption 5200 years ago and explore the acid rivers and erupting geysers of the region.
2. How often do volcanoes erupt in Iceland?
There are over 130 named volcanoes across Iceland. Some are active and others are not. These volcanoes are divided up into around 32 volcanic systems. Despite the large number of volcanoes across the country only a few dozen have erupted since Settlement in the year 874AD and even less in the past 120 years.
Some of the more active volcanoes in Iceland are noted below (this is not a full list):
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Grímsvötn in Vatnajökull National Park (south east Iceland) is the most active volcano in Iceland with an average eruption frequency of 1 in every 10 years throughout the last 1100 years.
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Bárðarbunga, also in the Vatnajökull National Park has recorded 26 volcanic eruptions in the last 1100 years giving it an average of 1 in every 50 years.
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Hekla in the south of Iceland is also one of the most active volcanoes in Iceland, recording 23 eruptions in the last 1000 years. Gaps between eruptions during this period range from 9 years to 121 years. The last eruption was in the year 2000.
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Eyjafjallajökull in the south of Iceland has erupted every 350-400 years in the last 1500 years with 4 eruptions being recorded since settlement.
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Katla in the south of Iceland, close to Eyjafjallajökull is considered one of the biggest volcanoes but hasn’t erupted since 1918. On average this volcano has erupted every 50 years in the last 1100 years.
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Öræfajökull is also the largest mountain in Iceland standing at 2,110m in height. It has also recorded some of the largest eruptions with 10km3 of tephra being ejected in the 1362 eruption. The last eruption was in 1727.
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Askja in the north east of Iceland last erupted in 1961 and usually has 2-3 eruptions every 100 years.
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