Volcanoes

Iceland is one of the most active volcanic countries in the world.

There are about 200 post-glacial volcanoes, at least 30 of which have erupted since the country was settled in the 9th century.

Nearly every type of volcanic activity is represented in Iceland, the most common being fissure eruptions. One of these occurred in 1783, when the Lakagígar, with about 100 separate craters, erupted to create the largest lava flow ever recorded (covering 565 km² (351 mi.²).

The gases and ash from this eruption poisoned the grasslands, wreaking tremendous havoc on the countryside. The resulting damage to the farmland brought widespread famine to Iceland, resulting in the starvation deaths of almost ten thousand people.

Shield volcanoes of the Hawaiian type, like Skjaldbreiður near Þingvellir, are also numerous, but the only one active in historical times was the new Surtsey volcano.

Almost all the cone volcanoes of the Fuji type are ice-covered, the largest of them being Öræfajökull (2,119 m/6,952 ft.), Eyjafjallajökull (1,666 m/5,465 ft.), and Snæfellsjökull (1,446 m/4,809 ft.). Craters created by volcanic explosions are also quite common.

Mount Hekla

Hekla is the third most-active volcano in Iceland after Grímsvötn and Katla (the volcanoes under the enormous Vatnajökull and Myrdálsjökull glaciers).

It has erupted 18 times in recorded history, and it is the only ridge-shaped stratovolcano in Iceland where eruptions occur along the same fissure.

The volcano is also unique in the composition of its magma: while most volcanoes in Iceland produce basalt, Hekla spews magma with a higher than usual silica content.

High-silica magma that cools at the surface produces a fine-grained rock called rhyolite, rather than low-silica magmas that produce fine-grained basalt.

This accounts for the unusually colourful landscape in the rocks of the Hekla highlands and in Landmannalaugar.

Among the numerous eruptions since the end of the last Ice Age, some have blanketed all of Iceland in a pale pumice stone (the last of these eruptions having happened about 900 BC).

The first eruption in historical times was the devastating eruption of 1104, which covered half of Iceland in pumice rock, either killing or forcing a number of inhabitants to flee as the eruption covered farms in the area.

A common Hekla eruption begins with an enormous explosive event, followed by the opening of a fissure and a very spectacular curtain of fire as magma is boiled and extruded. The fissure phase can last days, after which the activity is confined to a single vent spewing torrents of lava.

The amount of lava produced since historical times out of Hekla alone is enough to build a one-metre wide, 1.6-metre-tall wall around the whole coast of Iceland.

Technically, Hekla erupts about once a century, but the frequent eruptions in the 20th century—in 1947, 1970, 1980, and 1991—have led most Icelanders to tell you that Hekla erupts every 10 years.

It last erupted on February 26, 2000; farmers in the area will tell you that the groundwater is drying up, a sure sign that Hekla is due to erupt again soon.

Thórsmörk (Þórsmörk)

Thórsmörk, or Þórsmörk (“Thór’s forest”), is named after the Norse god Þórr (Thor), the god of thunder and probably the dearest of the Norse pagan gods to Icelanders.

It is known as one of the most beautiful and lush places in Iceland, with the combined action of rivers, glaciers, winds and volcanic activity sculpting the rock into mountains and canyons covered with birches, willows and wildflowers.

The land and has been classified as a nature reserve since 1920. Thórsmörk is as forested a place as you’ll ever find in Iceland; its downy birch trees can grow as tall as nine metres (30 feet) tall.

Still, locals joke that if you get lost in the Icelandic forest, just stand up and you’ll find your way out!

Thórsmörk is squeezed between the rivers Krossá and Markar, and framed to the north, east and south by the neighbouring glaciers Tindfjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull.

Landmannalaugar

Hiking Nirvana

Thanks to the artistic creativity of Mount Hekla, Landmannalaugar has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland.  This area is trekking and hiking heaven!

The landscape is truly exotic—a rugged and colourful land of huge geological variety that features warm springs, fumaroles and boiling mud pools.  

Rhyolite is the predominant rock feature in the area—one of more than 700 types of igneous rock formed by cooled magma, it comes from relatively low-temperature magma that has erupted explosively and cooled rapidly.  

Being made up of quartz and mica, it looks a little glassy and is not normally known for its vibrant hues; however, the Landmannalaugar’s geothermal chemistry has cooked the rocks into an infinite variety of subtle colours and variations, making it a visual feast for photographers.

The combination of scenic splendour and a true mountain wilderness environment has led to the formation of a number of mountain trails in the area, deservedly earning Landmannalaugar the title of best hiking area in the country.