This page contains the results of your search. It is divided into two sections. The first contains information about the eruption and the second part contains details about the source references and the date and time of the search. Click on the volcanic system name to retrieve more information.
| Source: | Hekla Volcanic System |
|---|---|
| Eruption site: | Hekla |
| VEI: | 4 |
| Lava volume: | 1.3 km3 |
| Tephra volume: | 0.400 km3 |
| Start Date: | 05 April 1766 AD |
| End: | April 1768 AD |
The volume of tephra is calculated as freshly fallen. This eruption was silicic, although there are no known deposits outside of Iceland. This was the longest eruption of Hekla during historical times. The initial very violent Plinian phase produced large amounts of tephra within the first 5 to 6 hours. Most of the tephra was carried to the north. Although damage was caused by the tephra fall, it was not as great as in 1693, as the main fallout axis lay to the east of the main settled areas of south Iceland. This eruption is also notable for the large amount of lava (1.3km3) erupted, the greatest amount by Hekla in historic times and only bettered by the Lakagigar eruption of 1783. The eruption virtually ceased between the end of August 1767 and March 1768.
The data on this page is from the following source(s). If you use this data please acknowledge the source of the data.
Larsen, G., Dugmore, A., J. and Newton, A.J. (1999) Geochemistry of historic silicic tephras in Iceland. The Holocene 9(4), 463-471.
Simkin, T., Siebert, L., Blong, R.J. and Russell, J. (1994) Volcanoes of the world : a regional directory, gazetteer, and chronology of volcanism during the last 10,000 years Geoscience Press, Tucson, with the Smithsonian Institution,349.
Thorarinsson, S. (1967) The eruption of Hekla in historical times. A tephrochronological study. The eruption of Hekla 1947-1948 I, 1-183
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This Tephrabase search was made on 6/8/2025 at 14:21:22 local time, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.