Vestmannaeyjar volcano
Updated: Mar 21, 2023 14:34 GMT -
Submarine volcanoes, volcanic islands 279 m (915 ft)
Iceland, 63.43°N / -20.25°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Iceland, 63.43°N / -20.25°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Vestmannaeyjar is a mostly submarine volcanic system just off Iceland's south coast, famous for the appearance of Surtsey Island in 1963-67 and the destructive eruption on Heimaey Island in 1973.
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Vestmannaeyjar volcano eruptions: 1637-38, 1896, 1963-67 (Surtsey island appears), 1973 (Jan-June, Heimaey)
Latest nearby earthquakes
| Time | Mag. / Depth | Distance/Location | ||
| Tuesday, March 14, 2023 GMT (1 quake) | ||||
| Mar 14, 2023 11:32 am (GMT +0) (Mar 14, 2023 11:32 GMT) | 1.7 0.6 km | 38 km (24 mi) Iceland: 9.1 Km SW of Básar | ||
| Thursday, March 9, 2023 GMT (1 quake) | ||||
| Mar 9, 2023 1:56 pm (GMT +0) (Mar 9, 2023 13:56 GMT) | 1.8 0.7 km | 37 km (23 mi) Iceland: 9.4 Km SW of Básar | ||
| Wednesday, March 8, 2023 GMT (1 quake) | ||||
| Mar 8, 2023 4:24 am (GMT +0) (Mar 8, 2023 04:24 GMT) | 1.4 4.4 km | 45 km (28 mi) Iceland: 6.6 Km WNW of Básar | ||
Background
The Vestmannaeyjar volcanic system is the southernmost and youngest volcanic center of the eastern volcanic rift zone that cuts across east-central Iceland. It consists of a roughly 30 x 40 km group of basaltic volcanic islands and submarine cones occupying a shallow shelf off the south coast of Iceland.Vestmannaeyjar was the site of two of Iceland's most noted 20th-century eruptions: The new island of Surtsey grew from the ocean floor during 1963-67.
The island of Heimaey, 20 km to the NE, was the site of dramatic eruptions in 1973 during which lava flows partially overran the town of Vestmannaeyjar and threatened its harbor. Several other volcanoes have erupted during historical time.
Twenty-two postglacial eruption sites are known in the Vestmannaeyjar system, and all ten subaerial vents on Heimaey are of Holocene age (less than 10,000 years old).
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Source: GVP / Smithsonian Institute
Vestmannaeyjar Photos
Entering Heimaey harbour in the evening sun, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland (Photo: Janka) |
View on Heimaey from the red cone of Eldfell volcano, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland (Photo: Janka) |
See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS
