Hveravellir Volcano

Updated: May 18, 2024 22:32 GMT - refresh

Subglacial volcano 1360 m / 4,462 ft
Southwestern Iceland, 64.75°N / -19.98°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

The Hveravellir central volcano lies at the northern end of an active volcanic zone that extends NE from the Reykjanes Peninsula and is referred as the Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull volcanic system.
It has a large summit caldera hidden below the Langjökull icecap. The most recent volcanic activity of the Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull volcanic system dates back to around 950 AD when a large lava flow eruption occurred from a series of fissures at Hallmundahraun.

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Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: unspecified
Hveravellir volcano eruptions: 950 AD ± 50 years

Latest nearby earthquakes

Time	Mag. / Depth	Distance / Location
May 12, 04:42 pm (Reykjavik)	1.7 4.4 km	25 km (16 mi) to the NE	1.4 km N of Hveravellir	Info
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
May 8, 07:52 pm (Reykjavik)	1.2 3.9 km	23 km (14 mi) to the SW	19.4 km SSE of Eiríksjökull	Info

View recent quakes

Background

Hveravellir central volcano occupies the NE half of the massive Langjökull icecap, east of the prominent Pleistocene table mountain, Erikskökull. A summit caldera lies beneath the ice.
The Kjalhraun shield volcano east of Langjökull produced about 11 cu km of lava about 7800 years ago. Several small shield volcanoes have been constructed along flank fissure zones, producing postglacial lava flows that flank Langjökull on the northern, western, and eastern sides. One of the most prominent of these is a small shield volcano that was formed at the site of the massive Hallmundahraun lava flow, which covers about 240 sq km and was erupted about 950 AD.
The Geysir thermal area, containing Iceland's largest geysers, lies in the Haukadalur basin, near the southern end of the lengthy fissure system extending from the Hveravellir central volcano.
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Smithsonian / GVP volcano information