Mýrdalsjökull
Encyclopedia
Mýrdalsjökull is a glacier
in the south of Iceland
. It is situated to the north of Vík í Mýrdal
and to the east of the smaller glacier Eyjafjallajökull
. Between these two glaciers is Fimmvörðuháls
pass. Its peak reaches 1493 m (4,898.3 ft) in height and in 1980 it covered an area of 595 km² (229.7 sq mi).
The icecap of the glacier covers an active volcano
called Katla. The caldera
of the volcano has a diameter of 10 km (6.2 mi) and the volcano erupts usually every 40–80 years. As the last eruption took place in 1918, scientists are monitoring the volcano very carefully as they believe an eruption of Katla is on the cards, particularly after the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull began in April 2010. Since 930, 16 eruptions have been documented.
As the Eldgjá
, a volcanic eruption fissure of about 30 km (18.6 mi) length, erupting in the year 936, is part of the same volcanic system, it can be regarded as one of the most powerful in the world.
Before the hringvegur
(the main road round the island) was built, people feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent jökulhlaup
s (glacial floods) and the deep rivers to be crossed. Especially dangerous was the glacial flood after the eruption of 1918 when the coastline was extended by 5 km (3.1 mi) by lahar
ic flood deposits.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
in the south of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. It is situated to the north of Vík í Mýrdal
Vík í Mýrdal
The village of Vík is the southernmost village in Iceland, located on the main ring road around the island, around by road SSE of Reykjavík....
and to the east of the smaller glacier Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in...
. Between these two glaciers is Fimmvörðuháls
Fimmvörðuháls
Fimmvörðuháls is the area between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull in southern Iceland. The route between Skógar and Thórsmörk goes through this pass and is one of the most popular walking routes in Iceland, despite being 22 km long and involving 1,000 m of climbing...
pass. Its peak reaches 1493 m (4,898.3 ft) in height and in 1980 it covered an area of 595 km² (229.7 sq mi).
The icecap of the glacier covers an active volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
called Katla. The caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
of the volcano has a diameter of 10 km (6.2 mi) and the volcano erupts usually every 40–80 years. As the last eruption took place in 1918, scientists are monitoring the volcano very carefully as they believe an eruption of Katla is on the cards, particularly after the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull began in April 2010. Since 930, 16 eruptions have been documented.
As the Eldgjá
Eldgjá
Eldgjá is a volcanic canyon in Iceland. Eldgjá and the Katla volcano are part of the same volcanic system in the south of the country. Eldgjá means "fire canyon" in Icelandic....
, a volcanic eruption fissure of about 30 km (18.6 mi) length, erupting in the year 936, is part of the same volcanic system, it can be regarded as one of the most powerful in the world.
Before the hringvegur
Route 1 (Iceland)
Route 1 or the Ring Road is a main road in Iceland that runs around the island and connects all habitable parts of the country . The total length of the road is ....
(the main road round the island) was built, people feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent jökulhlaup
Jökulhlaup
A jökulhlaup is a glacial outburst flood. It is an Icelandic term that has been adopted by the English language. It originally referred to the well-known subglacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull, Iceland which are triggered by geothermal heating and occasionally by a volcanic subglacial...
s (glacial floods) and the deep rivers to be crossed. Especially dangerous was the glacial flood after the eruption of 1918 when the coastline was extended by 5 km (3.1 mi) by lahar
Lahar
A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of "berlahar" which originated in the Javanese language of...
ic flood deposits.
See also
- Geography of IcelandGeography of IcelandIceland is a medium-sized island in the North Atlantic ocean. The island is located east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle, atop the divergent boundary of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies about from New York City and from Scotland...
- Glaciers of IcelandGlaciers of IcelandThe glaciers and ice caps of Iceland cover 11.1% of the land area of the country and have a considerable impact on its landscape and meteorology...
- Iceland plumeIceland plumeThe Iceland Plume is a postulated upwelling of anomalously hot rock in the Earth's mantle beneath Iceland. Its origin is thought to lie deep in the mantle, perhaps at the boundary between the core and the mantle at ca. 2880 km depth. Opinions differ as to whether seismic studies have imaged...
- List of lakes in Iceland
- List of islands of Iceland
- List of volcanoes in Iceland
- List of rivers of Iceland
- Volcanism of Iceland
- Waterfalls of IcelandWaterfalls of IcelandIceland is unusually suited for waterfalls. This small island country has a north Atlantic climate that produces frequent rain or snow and a near-Arctic location that produces large glaciers, whose summer melts feed many rivers...
- List of glaciers
External links
- http://www.nimbus.it/glaciorisk/Glacier_view.asp?IdGlacier=3965&Vista=paese&Paese=Iceland&IdTipoRischio= (Details of all known Glacier Runs from Mýrdalsjökull)
- http://isafold.de/strutstigur02/img_jokull.htm (Photo of Mýrdalsjökull)
- http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/eldgja.html (Volcanism)
- Katla: eruption preparedness for tourists