Eyjafjöll Volcanic System

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Summary

The volcanic system of Eyjafjöll (or the Eyjafjallajökull volcano) is situated immediately south of the Tindfjoll complex and borders on the Katla Volcanic System. This system can be compared morphologically to the Hekla central volcano which has been described as a volcanic stratified ridge. The complex is partly covered by an ice cap and reaches a height of 1666 m, under which a 2.5 km wide caldera has developed. The Eyjafjöll stratovolcano was built up during the last two glacial periods and last interglacial period. Like many Icelandic volcanic systems, Eyjafjöll has erupted material with a range of compostions from basaltic to acidic. There appear to have been at least 17 basaltic to intermediate lava flows which date from the Holocene. Four eruption centres are covered by ice at the present time. Only three eruptions have occured Eyjafjöll since the Norse settlement, prior to 2010. The 1821-23 eruption in the main crater (caldera) produced intermediate to acid tephra. About 0.006 km³ of the lavas are basalt, 0.24 km³ are basaltic andesites, and approx. 0.02 km³ is acid (one lava flow). Another eruption is known to have occurred in 1612 or 1613. There is also evidence of an eruption around 920 AD.

On 20 March (23:52) a fissure opened in the Fimmvorduhals pass between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. This is only the third historically recorded eruption. On the 14th April activity activity switched to Eyjafjallajökull's main crater just after midnight. This subglacial eruption has resulted in jökulhlaups, which have largerly flowed north out of Gígjökull into the Markarfljót valley.

Eruptions described in Tephrabase

Eyjafjallajökull 2010

Eyjafjallajokull 1821

Eyjafjallajokull 1612/1613

This information is based on the following references

Jakobsson, S.P. (1979) Petrology of recent basalts of the Eastern Volcanic Zone, Iceland. Acta Naturalia Islandica  26, 1-103.

Larsen, G., Dugmore, A., J. and Newton, A.J. (1999) Geochemistry of historic silicic tephras in Iceland. The Holocene  9(4), 463-471..