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| 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.
Stratovolcano 1516 m (4,974 ft) Central Iceland, 65.03°N / -16.75°W Current status: restless (2 out of 5) Askja webcams / live dataAskja volcano books | ToursAskja volcano eruptions:1797(?), 1875, 1919, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924(?), 1926, 1938, 1961 Typical eruption style:explosive + effusive Last earthquakes nearby
Latest satellite images  Askja volcano news & activity updates:Mon, 12 Oct 2015, 09:21
 Recent earthquakes under Herdubreid volcano A shallow earthquake swarm has been occurring 25 km NE of the Aksja caldera since Thursday. ...moreMore than 150 small quakes with magnitudes up to 2.2 have so far been recorded, clustered at depths between 3-12 km in 5 km north of the Herðubreið table mountain, an old subglacial volcano 20 km NE of the Askja caldera. Whether the swarm is caused by a magmatic intrusion or something else is not known at the moment.  Depth vs time of quakes near Askja volcano [ less] Wed, 23 Jul 2014, 14:45
A large landslide occurred from the southern wall of the Askja caldera yesterday night. The slide caused a large flood wave in the Öskjuvatn lake that also swept into the famous Viti crater. ...moreThere are no reports of victims. Although there have been speculations that the slide could have been triggered by magmatic processes, it is most likely a result of summer warming, melting frozen soil in the caldera walls, destabilizing it. [ less] [ read all] Sat, 3 May 2014, 16:08  Location of the recent earthquakes near Askja (Iceland) A swarm of shallow earthquakes at 2-10 km depth has started under the Herðubreið volcano about 12 km NE of the Askja caldera. The largest earthquakes so far were 2 magnitude 3.2 and 3.0 events. ...moreWhether the earthquakes are caused by intruding magma at shallow depth, and could be a potential precursor to a new eruption of the volcano, is at present unknown. [ less] Fri, 22 Nov 2013, 11:07  Recent earthquakes near Askja volcano in Iceland A small swarm of earthquakes has occurred today under the eastern caldera rim. Another minor swarm took place yesterday under Þórðarhyrna volcano 20 km to the NE. Wed, 27 Mar 2013, 16:29  Map of recent quakes near Askja Small earthquakes have also been more frequent under and near the Askja caldera and Bardabunga volcano (to the SW of Askja) in the past few days.  Depth vs time of quakes under Askja volcano Sun, 10 Mar 2013, 14:59
A swarm of earthquakes at shallow depths, mostly around 2-5 km has been occurring in an area about 12 km NE of the caldera. 27 quakes including 6 between magnitudes 2.1-2.7 were recorded yesterday. Thu, 21 Feb 2013, 17:50  Depth vs time of quakes under Askja volcano Another swarm of quakes has been going on in a SW-NE trending area under and SW of the caldera. 
Location of recent quakes near Askja Fri, 14 Dec 2012, 11:05  Location of quakes near Askja today (Icelandic Met Office) A small swarm of earthquakes has started today about 10 km west of the Askja caldera. The quakes are at 20-25 km depth. Fri, 2 Nov 2012, 08:08  Time and depth of recent quakes at Askja volcano on Iceland During the past days, an increased number of earthquakes occurred in an area east of the Askja caldera. The corresponding tremor signal has been rising as well, although these levels seem not to be alarming. Wed, 26 Sep 2012, 08:25  Location of recent quakes (Sep 2012) at and near Askja volcano
An increased number of earthquakes can be noted beneath Askja volcano during recent weeks. A shallow M2 quake occurred early this morning at 07:29 GMT.  Time and depth of quakes (Sep 2012) near Askja Show more news
Fri, 10 Aug 2012, 09:02  Rising tremor at Askja volcano Askja volcano in Iceland shows increased signs of unrest including higher than background levels of tremor, as Diana Barnes remarked on VolcanoCafe. Wed, 16 May 2012, 16:15
 Earthquake swarm near the Askja caldera on 14-15 May 2012 (Icelandic Met Office) A small seismic swarm occurred on 14-15 May near the Askja caldera in central Iceland, just southwest of Herðubreið volcano. ...moreHerðubreið volcano, located in the Highlands of Iceland in the midst of the Ódáðahraun desert, is an isolated, table-mountain shaped broad cone that formed beneath the icesheet that covered Iceland during the last ice age, which is when the volcano had its last eruption. Whether the recent seismic swarm is related to the same magmatic system that formed Herðubreið or rather to the larger Askja caldera volcano is difficult to asses. [ less] [ read all] Wed, 4 Apr 2012, 20:11 Some news has appeared about a sudden warming of the Askja volcano caldera lake. It seems that a melt of ice in the caldera lake started in the beginning of March and by the end of March, the lake was completely ice free. ...moreThis is highly unusual and it is not known to have happened before. Such increase in hydrothermal activity is probably caused by a heat source at the bottom of the lake, although so far, there are no other changes visible around Lake Askja. Hydrothermal areas around Askja are active recent reports confirm. Whether the raised temperature of Askja lake is a precursor to a new eruption in the foreseeable future is speculation at this point. [ less] [ read all]
More on VolcanoDiscovery:
 Earthquake monitor: Lists and maps of earthquakes in the world in near real time. Country lists, earthquake archive, and I-felt-it reports.  How to watch volcanoes? Which volcano to choose? Some guidelines.  Kilauea volcano photos: The most active volcano in the world with a record long lasting eruption since 1983: images of lava flows, lava lakes, explosions, lava meeting the ocean, aerials and more.  Active volcanoes map: Check which volcanoes are currently active (erupting). Our daily updated maps give a quick overview. |
