Iceland, a captivating paradise, boasts an array of natural wonders, from hot springs and geothermal spas to glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, and black sand beaches. Despite its allure, Iceland remains one of Europe’s less-explored destinations, perhaps due to misconceptions about its costs.
Nestled within this breathtaking landscape lie approximately 32 active volcanoes out of circa 130. This has led to inquiries about the potential threats these volcanoes pose and which are the most perilous.
Understanding Iceland’s volcanic terrain requires discerning different categories of volcanoes based on their activity levels. An active volcano, capable of eruption or currently erupting, displays varying degrees of activity measured on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). While technically active, dormant volcanoes have not erupted significantly but still retain the potential to do so.
- Fagradalsfjall, boasting a height of 385 meters and a recent eruption in 2023, lay dormant for over six millennia. This volcano is the first active one in the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark area in 800 years. The last eruption has been characterized as a “tourist eruption,” a term commonly used by Icelanders to describe minor eruptions that are easily accessible. While the typical response to a volcanic eruption is to flee, the opposite is true in Iceland. Locals flocked to the eruption site to witness the awe-inspiring display of nature’s might.
- Grímsvötn, towering at 1,725 meters and experiencing its most recent eruption in 2011, resides beneath the Vatnajökull glacier in southeastern Iceland. The 2011 eruption featured explosions with multiple 15-20 km altitude ash plumes, causing ashfall tens of kilometres away. Vatnajökull has witnessed periodic jökulhlaups (glacial outburst floods) for centuries, occurring regularly since the end of the last ice age when a lake fed by glacial meltwater breaches its dam and drains.
- At 1,512 meters and last erupting in 1918, Katla ranks as one of Iceland’s largest and most active volcanoes. Between 930 and 1918, Katla has documented 16-20 eruptions, with intervals ranging from 20 to 80 years. It has now been over a century since the last violent eruption.
- Eyjafjallajökull, with a height of 1,666 meters and its last eruption in 2010, gained international fame when its colossal ash plume brought air traffic to a standstill. This stratovolcano, or composite volcano, is characterized by its conical shape, composed of numerous layers of hardened volcanic material such as pumice, tephra, and solidified lava. Covered by an ice cap, the volcano’s caldera hides the potential for glacial eruptions, making it a household name due to the disruptive 2010 eruption.
- Bárðarbunga, reaching 2,021 meters and erupting most recently in 2015, lies as a subglacial stratovolcano beneath the ice cap of the Vatnajökull glacier. Its caldera spans approximately 70 square kilometres, with surrounding edges rising to 1850 meters. Despite its remote location and infrequent eruptions, Bárðarbunga has gained attention in recent studies, revealing that many tephra layers initially attributed to other volcanoes were actually ejected from Bárðarbunga. Sustained seismic activity has persisted without an eruption, solidifying its status as an active volcano.
The most perilous volcano in Iceland historically, Katla, has garnered a notorious reputation due to its track record of eruptions and its strategic position beneath the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.
