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Askja volcan

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.

Introduction:

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.

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Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution

Askja 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)

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