Iceland has a very high number of active volcanoes due to its unique geological conditions. The island has about 130 volcanic mountains, of which 18 have erupted since the settlement of Iceland. Over the past 500 years, Iceland's volcanoes have erupted a third of the total global Lava output, and the Laki eruption of 1783 gave rise to the largest single lava flow in recorded history.
Geologists explain this intense activity as being due to a combination of the island's position on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and a volcanic hotspot underneath the island. The island sits astride the boundary between the European and American plates, and most volcanic activity is concentrated along the plate boundary, which runs across the island from the south-west to the north-east of the island.
Notable volcanoes
The most important volcanoes of Iceland are:
In the south west of the island: Hekla, Mýrdalsjökull with Katla, Eldgjá and the Laki craters, Hvannadalshnjúkur (or Öræfajökull), Snæfellsjökull.
In the north of the country and in the interior: the glacier Vatnajökull with Bárdarbunga, Grimsvötn and Kverkfjöll, Krafla, Askja and Herðubreið.
Also, off the south coast in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago are the recently-active Surtsey, and Eldfell on Heimaey.
There are also many regions of geothermal activity , such as the Hengill central volcano with Hveragerði, Haukadalur with the well known Geysir, and Hveravellir .
See also
External link
Last updated: 10-17-2005 04:01:12
