This list of volcanoes in Iceland includes active and dormant volcanic mountains, of which 18 have erupted since human settlement of Iceland began around 900 AD.
List
Volcanic zones and systems
Iceland has four major volcanic zones surrounding an hypothetical hotspot:
- the Reykjanes zone (RVZ), subdivided into the Reykjanes Ridge (RR) (the Mid-Atlantic Ridge South of Iceland) and the Reykjanes Volcanic Belt (RVB) (on the main island);
- the West Volcanic Zone (WVZ);
- the East Volcanic Zone (EVZ) (extended to the Westman Islands, South of the main island);
- the North Volcanic Zone (NVZ).
The Mid-Iceland Belt (MIB) connects them across central Iceland.
In Iceland's East Volcanic Zone (EVZ), the central volcanoes, Vonarskarð and Hágöngur belong to the same volcanic system; this also applies to Bárðarbunga and Hamarinn, and to Grímsvötn and Þórðarhyrna.[3]
North of Iceland, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is called Kolbeinsey Ridge (KR) and is connected to the North Volcanic Zone via the Tjörnes Fracture Zone (TFZ). Also the South Iceland Seismic Zone (SISZ) is another fracture zone, which connects the East and West Volcanic Zones. Both fracture zones also include their own volcanic systems, smaller than those in the Mid-Iceland Belt.
Besides the hotspot area fragmenting the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, there are also two intraplate volcanic belts: Öræfajökull (ÖVB) on the Eurasian plate, and Snæfellsnes (SVB) on the North American plate.[4][5] It is proposed that the east-west line going from the Grímsvötn volcano in the Mid-Iceland Belt (MIB) to the Snæfellsnes volcanic belt (SVB) shows the movement of the North American Plate over the Iceland hotspot.[6]
| # | Volcanic zone | Volcanic system | Name of central volcano of the volcanic system |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RVZ | Reykjanes/Svartsengi | Gunnuhver |
| 2 | RVZ | Krýsuvík | Trölladyngja (Reykjanesskagi) |
| 3 | RVZ | Brennisteinsfjöll | void |
| 4 | WVZ | Hengill | Hengill |
| 5 | WVZ | Hrómundartindur | Hrómundartindur |
| 6 | WVZ | Grensdalur | void |
| 7 | WVZ | Grímsnes | Seyðishólar |
| 8 | WVZ | Geysir | Laugarfjall |
| 9 | WVZ | Western Langjökull | Prestahnúkur |
| 10 | WVZ | Eastern Langjökull | Hveravellir |
| 11 | MIB | Hofsjökull | Hofsjökull |
| 12 | MIB | Kerlingarfjöll | Snækollur |
| 13 | MIB | Tungnafellsjökull | Tungnafellsjökull/Hágöngur |
| 14 | EVZ | Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) | void |
| 15 | EVZ | Eyjafjallajökull | Eyjafjallajökull |
| 16 | EVZ | Katla | Katla |
| 17 | EVZ | Tindfjallajökull | Tindfjallajökull |
| 18 | EVZ | Hekla-Vatnafjöll | Hekla |
| 19 | EVZ | Torfajökull | Torfajökull |
| 20 | EVZ | Bárðarbunga-Veiðivötn | Bárðarbunga/Hamarinn |
| 21 | EVZ | Grímsvötn | Grímsvötn/Thórdarhyrna |
| # | EVZ | (Central volcanoes, as well) | (Vonarskard/Hágöngur)[3] |
| 22 | NVZ | Kverkfjöll | Austari Kverkfjöll |
| 23 | NVZ | Askja | Askja |
| 24 | NVZ | Fremrinámur | void |
| 25 | NVZ | Krafla | Krafla |
| 26 | NVZ | Þeistareykir | Þeistareykjabunga |
| 27 | ÖVB | Öræfajökull | Öræfajökull |
| 28 | ÖVB | Esjufjöll | Snæhetta |
| 29 | ÖVB | Snæfell | Snæfell |
| 30 | SVB | Ljósufjöll | void |
| 31 | SVB | Lýsuskarð | Helgrindur |
| 32 | SVB | Snæfellsjökull | Snæfellsjökull |
See also
References
- Siebert L, Simkin T (2002–present). Volcanoes of the World: an Illustrated Catalog of Holocene Volcanoes and their Eruptions. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-3 (http://www.volcano.si.edu).
- Thor Thordarsson, Armann Hoskuldsson: Classic Geology in Europe 3. Iceland. Harpenden, Terra, 2002
- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/doomsday-volcanoes.html
- ↑ "Global Volcanism Program | Kolbeinsey Ridge". Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ↑ "An eruption has started on the Reykjanes peninsula". Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- 1 2 T. Gudmundsson; Thórdís Högnadóttir (January 2007). "Volcanic systems and calderas in the Vatnajökull region, central Iceland: Constraints on crustal structure from gravity data". Journal of Geodynamics. 43 (1): 153–169. Bibcode:2007JGeo...43..153G. doi:10.1016/j.jog.2006.09.015.
- ↑ T. Thordarson; G. Larsen (January 2007). "Volcanism in Iceland in historical time: volcano types, eruption styles and eruptive history". Journal of Geodynamics. 43 (1): 118–152. Bibcode:2007JGeo...43..118T. doi:10.1016/j.jog.2006.09.005.
- ↑ H. Jóhannesson; K. Sæmundsson (1998). Geologic Map of Iceland, 1:500,000. Bedrock Geology. Reykjavík: Icelandic Institute of Natural History and Iceland Geodetic Survey.
- ↑ W. Jason Morgan; Jason Phipps Morgan. Plate velocities in hotspot reference frame: electronic supplement (PDF). p. 111. Retrieved 2010-04-23.