Askja Volcano
Updated: May 18, 2024 22:19 GMT -
Stratovolcano 1516 m (4,974 ft)
Central Iceland, 65.03°N / -16.75°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Central Iceland, 65.03°N / -16.75°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Last update: 27 Mar 2024 (seismic swarm yesterday)
Askja is a large basaltic central volcano that forms the Dyngjufjöll massif. It is truncated by three overlapping calderas, the largest of which is 8 km wide and may have been produced primarily from subglacial ring-fracture eruptions rather than by subsidence.
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Askja volcano eruptions: 1797(?), 1875, 1919, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924(?), 1926, 1938, 1961
Latest nearby earthquakes
| Time | Mag. / Depth | Distance / Location | |||
| May 17, 09:07 am (Reykjavik) | 1.1 9 km |  6.3 km SE of Herðubreið | Info | ||
| May 17, 06:46 am (Reykjavik) | 1.3 3.3 km | 1.5 km NNE of Suðurbotnar | Info | ||
| Thursday, May 16, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
| May 16, 12:58 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.5 2.2 km | 1 km (0.6 mi) to the NW | 2.0 km WSW of Víti | Info | |
| Friday, May 10, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
| May 10, 08:45 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.4 4.6 km | 3.3 km SSE of Herðubreið | Info | ||
| Wednesday, May 8, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
| May 8, 07:47 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.9 4.2 km | 5.6 km (3.4 mi) to the N | 2.9 km E of Jónsskarð | Info | |
| Monday, May 6, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
| May 6, 07:11 am (Reykjavik) | 1.4 6.6 km | 6.6 km N of Herðubreið | Info | ||
Background
A major rhyolitic explosive eruption from Dyngjufjöll about 10,000 years ago was in part associated with the formation of Askja caldera. Many postglacial eruptions also occurred along the ring-fracture. A major explosive eruption on the SE caldera margin in 1875 was one of Iceland's largest during historical time. It resulted in the formation of a smaller 4.5-km-wide caldera, now filled by Öskjuvatn lake, that truncates the rim of the larger central caldera. The 100-km-long Askja fissure swarm, which includes the Sveinagja graben, is also related to the Askja volcanic system, as are several small shield volcanoes such as Kollatadyngja. Twentieth-century eruptions at Askja have produced lava flows from vents located mostly near Öskjuvatn lake.---
Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution
Askja Volcano Photos
Viti crater and lake Öskjuvatn fill only a part of the enormous Askja caldera in Iceland. (Photo: Janka)
Askja caldera with its sulphurous Viti crater and the deep lake of Öskjuvatn in the background, Iceland (Photo: Janka)
View on the exceptionally clear waters of lake Öskjuvatn, Askja caldera, Iceland (Photo: Janka)
Latest satellite images
