Your Guide to Iceland's Volcanoes

Katla is considered one of Iceland’s most dangerous volcanoes. It is a very large and very active volcano underneath a glacial icecap in the southern part of Iceland. It has an eruption cycle of about 100 years, and it last erupted violently in 1918. There have likely been smaller eruptions that didn’t break through the thick icecap of the glacier that covers it but a proper eruption in Katla is lost on no one in these parts. The main concern is the area south of Katla, which is expected to be hit with massive floods in the next eruption when the lava explodes through the icecap and melting glacier water comes rushing through the plains below. For this reason, the inhabitants of the towns and farms in the area are well versed in evacuation schemes, Katla is heavily monitored, and a huge cell network will track down anyone in the area in case of an eruption.

Fun fact: Eldgjá, the world’s biggest volcanic eruption in the past 10,000 years, is part of the Katla volcanic system.

Hekla is one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes, erupting approx. once every decade in the latter part of the 20th century. Its eruptions are so frequent that in the Middle Ages, Hekla was nicknamed “The Gateway to Hell”. While Hekla’s eruptions can be big, she is mostly notorious for giving little to no warning before an eruption. The mountain is mostly aseismic, and scientists estimate we’ll have approximately 30 to 60 minutes of evacuation time before the next eruption. Just to be clear, volcano warnings come in the form of earthquakes and tremors that form a pattern before an eruption. Oh, and hiking on Hekla is not recommended. For obvious reasons.

Just off the south coast of Iceland is a series of small islands called Vestmannaeyjar, or the Westman Islands. The largest of these and the only inhabited one is called Heimaey, or “Home Island”, and it is a sweet home to 4,500 people and about 8 million puffins. Heimaey is a breathtakingly beautiful island and its awesome landscapes are a sight to behold. But this place is best known for the 1973 eruption of its volcano EldfellLink opens in a new tab that took out half the town and significantly enlarged the island. In what can only be described as a miraculous moment in history, the entire island was immediately evacuated during the night. Today, visitors can walk around houses excavated from the ash in the Eldheimar volcano museum in Vestmannaeyjar and learn all about its geological superstar neighbor, Surtsey.

You know how new land is born in the middle of the sea from an underwater eruption when nobody is watching? No? Well, that’s how Surtsey islandLink opens in a new tab was formed in a submarine volcanic eruption between 1963 and 1967 in what is the longest continuous eruption in Iceland’s history. Very few people have set foot on Surtsey since it is a highly protected nature reserve and both vegetation and wildlife settlements are monitored closely. News from Surtsey is always interesting and this odd place off the coast of Iceland continues to teach us new things about how birds, insects, plants, and sadly, trash travel.

This is probably Iceland’s most notorious volcano because of the 2010 eruption that halted air travel in Europe for days. You may remember the commotion in European airports and the subsequent air travel reforms that were made for incidents like this. You may also remember newscasters all over the world trying their best to pronounce the name of this volcano but what you probably don’t know is that Icelanders were quite mortified about the whole thing. The huge ash cloud produced by this eruption posed a threat to air traffic all over Europe, and as days passed and news kept coming in from people stranded in airports all over the world, the soundbite kept coming back as “Iceland ruined everything”. Thankfully, the situation in Europe was resolved after 6 days, but locals were not as lucky. The focus soon shifted entirely to the farms in the vicinity of the volcano that were covered in ash and the following months were spent fighting ash fallout. If there’s one thing Icelanders do well, it’s forming a unified front when it comes to natural forces. Volunteers from all over Iceland showed up to help clean livestock, fields, and farmhouses but sadly, this situation eventually marked an end for some farmers who left their lands for good. If you’re driving the south coast of Iceland, take notice of these farms, their dramatic history, and their awesome perseverance.

Grímsvötn can be translated as “The Lakes of Grímur” and is probably one of the most mentioned place names in Icelandic news. The reason for that is that Grímsvötn is the most active volcano in Iceland. But it’s not your typical volcano, shaped like a cone with a nice spout of fire coming out of it. No, Grímsvötn is a subglacial calderaLink opens in a new tab so in a way, nobody has ever actually seen it. It lies underneath one of the world’s largest glaciers, Vatnajökull and is Iceland’s most frequently erupting volcano. Eruptions in Grímsvötn aren’t your typical picturesque “tourist eruptions” as Icelanders call them, and you’ll probably never see lava flowing from Grímsvötn. However, it is hazardous due to its subglacial location. When it erupts, it melts the icecap surrounding it, filling its caldera with glacial water until it all comes flooding down to the plains below. As a result, Grímsvötn is one of the most heavily monitored volcanoes in Iceland. Unlike some of its smaller volcanic siblings (we’re looking at you, Hekla), Grímsvötn gives plenty of warning. When these glacial floods occur, they have been known to sweep away huge bridges and long stretches of roads with their awesome powers. but road closures and evacuations are in place to keep everyone safe.

If anything can be said to be “in the middle of nowhere,” it’s probably Askja. This treacherous volcano lies to the north of Vatnajökull glacier in an area entirely inaccessible for most of the year, surrounded by the desert of the Icelandic highlands. Askja last erupted in 1961, but in 1875 an eruption in Askja devastated a large part of the Eastfjords of Iceland with extreme ashfall that killed livestock and ruined crops. Askja is currently stirring with evidence pointing to magma building up underneath the volcanic system. In the winter of 2022-2023, the ice covering Lake Askja was melting, which is considered very unusual over the winter months, indicating increased geothermal activity. Along with increased seismic activity, everything points to an eruption on the horizon. Askja is now under added surveillance and access to the area is restricted accordingly.

This impossible-to-pronounce place is a dormant volcano, just 20 minutes outside of Reykjavík city. It is getting an honorable mention as one of our more famous volcanoes because of its incredible history and unique attraction. It was only discovered in 1974 by cave explorers and after substantial construction in the area, this volcano was opened as a tourist attraction in 2012. Don't worry, this volcano is as dormant as they come, and visiting the attraction isn't dangerous. It is aptly named “Inside the volcanoLink opens in a new tab” and offers visitors an incredible experience of descending into the volcano via an elevator and observing the enormous and lit-up magma chamber. If you think this is just another tourist trap, think again. This is literally the only place in the world where this is possible, and we’ll go for all the puns here and state that a more groundbreaking experience is hard to come by.