Askja Volcano
Updated: Apr 30, 2024 20:03 GMT -
Stratovolcano 1516 m (4,974 ft)
Central Iceland, 65.03°N / -16.75°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Central Iceland, 65.03°N / -16.75°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Last update: 27 Mar 2024 (seismic swarm yesterday)
Askja is a large basaltic central volcano that forms the Dyngjufjöll massif. It is truncated by three overlapping calderas, the largest of which is 8 km wide and may have been produced primarily from subglacial ring-fracture eruptions rather than by subsidence.
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Askja volcano eruptions: 1797(?), 1875, 1919, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924(?), 1926, 1938, 1961
Latest nearby earthquakes
Time | Mag. / Depth | Distance / Location | |||
Apr 30, 12:21 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.0 5 km | 3.4 km SE of Herðubreið | Info | ||
Monday, April 29, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
Apr 29, 11:02 am (Reykjavik) | 1.0 2 km | 1.8 km NE of Mývetningahraun | Info | ||
Saturday, April 27, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
Apr 27, 01:11 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.7 0.1 km | 21 km (13 mi) to the NW | 7.9 km NW of Dyngjufell | Info | |
Monday, April 22, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
Apr 22, 08:22 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.3 3.9 km | 3.8 km (2.4 mi) to the E | 1.1 km ENE of Suðurbotnar | Info | |
Sunday, April 21, 2024 GMT (2 quakes) | |||||
Apr 21, 11:33 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.5 4.6 km | 21 km (13 mi) to the NE | 4.4 km SSW of Herðubreið | Info | |
Apr 21, 10:52 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.0 5 km | 3.6 km S of Herðubreið | Info |
Background
A major rhyolitic explosive eruption from Dyngjufjöll about 10,000 years ago was in part associated with the formation of Askja caldera. Many postglacial eruptions also occurred along the ring-fracture. A major explosive eruption on the SE caldera margin in 1875 was one of Iceland's largest during historical time. It resulted in the formation of a smaller 4.5-km-wide caldera, now filled by Öskjuvatn lake, that truncates the rim of the larger central caldera. The 100-km-long Askja fissure swarm, which includes the Sveinagja graben, is also related to the Askja volcanic system, as are several small shield volcanoes such as Kollatadyngja. Twentieth-century eruptions at Askja have produced lava flows from vents located mostly near Öskjuvatn lake.---
Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution
Askja Volcano Photos
Viti crater and lake Öskjuvatn fill only a part of the enormous Askja caldera in Iceland. (Photo: Janka)
Askja caldera with its sulphurous Viti crater and the deep lake of Öskjuvatn in the background, Iceland (Photo: Janka)
View on the exceptionally clear waters of lake Öskjuvatn, Askja caldera, Iceland (Photo: Janka)