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Askja () is an
active volcano An active volcano is a volcano which is either erupting or is likely to erupt in the future. An active volcano which is not currently erupting is known as a dormant volcano. Overview Tlocene Epoch. Most volcanoes are situated on the Pacific Ri ...
situated in a remote part of the central highlands of
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
. The name Askja refers to a complex of nested
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
s within the surrounding Dyngjufjöll mountains, which rise to , ''askja'' meaning ''box'' or ''caldera'' in Icelandic.


Location

The region is only accessible for a few months of the year. Being situated in the
rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is car ...
to the northeast of the
Vatnajökull Vatnajökull ( Icelandic pronunciation: , literally "Glacier of Lakes"; sometimes translated as Vatna Glacier in English) is the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland, and the second largest in area in Europe after the Severny Island ic ...
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
, the area receives only about 450 mm of
rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
fall annually.


NASA

The area was used by
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding ...
during training for the Apollo program to prepare astronauts for the lunar missions. Their main objective in Askja was to study geology. The Astronaut Monument in
Húsavík Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík i ...
lists the 32 astronauts who participated.


Eruptions

Askja was virtually unknown until the subplinian eruption which started on March 28, 1875, followed by the devastating phreatoplinian explosion on March 29, 1875. Especially in the Eastfjords of Iceland, the ashfall was heavy enough to poison the land and kill livestock. Ash, or
tephra Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they re ...
from this eruption was wind-blown to
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and th ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. The eruption triggered a substantial wave of
emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
from Iceland. Another less well-known eruption, called Askja-S, occurred in the early
Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...
, ca 11,000 years ago.
Tephra Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they re ...
from this eruption has been found in south-east
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
and north
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and th ...
and recently as far south as
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, which makes it one of the most far-travelled Icelandic tephras. The last eruption of Askja was in 1961. The outer caldera of Askja, representing a prehistoric eruption, is about 50 km², and there is evidence of other later caldera-forming events within it. The main crater floor lies at about 1,100 m. In June 2010, Volcano expert Hazel Rymer said seismic activity was increasing at Askja. The increased earthquake activity was located to the northeast of the central volcano, in the direction of Herðubreið. It was ruled out that any activity from
Eyjafjallajökull Eyjafjallajökull (; ), sometimes referred to by the numeronym E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The vo ...
was responsible for the increase in activity at Askja. The news came as scientists continue to watch Katla. In early April 2012 it was noted that the lake in the caldera was totally clear of ice, which usually does not happen until in June or July in a normal year. It was believed that increased geothermal activity in the volcano is heating the lake. Travel in the area was restricted until further research could be carried out. In early September 2021, GPS and Satellite data showed that an inflation at the rate of five cm per month, most likely attributed to magma intrusion, of the caldera had started in August. An Article published on September 9th from the Icelandic Meteorological Office(IMO) stated the Aviation Color Code was upgraded from "Green" to "Yellow" due to the changes. The Article also says, "Next week IMO and the Institute of Earth Sciences (UÍ) will potentiate the monitoring network around Askja to allow a better coverage and surveillance of the volcano."


Öskjuvatn lake

Öskjuvatn is a large lake that fills much of the smaller caldera resulting from the 1875 eruption. Its surface lies about 50 m below the level of the main caldera floor and covers about 12 km². When the lake originally formed it was warm, but today it is frozen over for most of the year. Öskjuvatn is the second deepest lake in Iceland at 220 m deep.


Missing scientists

In 1907, the German scientists Walter von Knebel and Max Rudloff visited Askja to study the caldera. While exploring Öskjuvatn in a small boat, they disappeared without a trace. Von Knebel's fiancée Ina von Grumbkow led an expedition to search for them, but no indication of what happened to them was ever found. Recent observations on the effects of a landslide, on 21 July 2014, has led to renewed speculation that the scientists were killed by a similar sudden event, a massive wave similar to the one estimated to be 30 meters high seen in 2014.


Sights and tourism in the area

The Dyngjufjöll mountains which surround the Askja caldera, also contain the ''Drekagil'' , the canyon of dragons. Within 25km and 40km of Askja, are two other volcanic systems: Herðubreið and Kverkfjöll. Askja is a popular tourist destination. There are two mountain huts and a campsite at Dreki , by Drekagil, which is about 100 km by a 4x4 F-road, from the Icelandic ring-road. The road continues 8 km up from Dreki into the Askja caldera. It is a walk of about 2.5 km from the car park to Öskjuvatn and Víti . The roads are usually only open for about three to four months, from late June until early October.


See also

* Geography of Iceland * Iceland plume * List of glaciers of Iceland *
List of lakes of Iceland This is a list of lakes of Iceland (partially indicating surface, depth and volume). Iceland has over 20 lakes larger than 10 km² (4 sq mi), and at least 40 others varying between 2.5 and 10 km² (1 to 4 sq mi) in size. This list also in ...
* List of rivers of Iceland * List of volcanic eruptions in Iceland * List of volcanoes in Iceland *
Volcanism of Iceland :''The volcano system in Iceland that started activity on August 17, 2014, and ended on February 27, 2015, is Bárðarbunga.'' :''The volcano in Iceland that erupted in May 2011 is Grímsvötn.'' Iceland experiences frequent volcanic activity, ...


References


External links


Askja
in the Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes


Photos and videos


Panoramic views of Iceland, including Askja


* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040620150840/http://www.bildungsservice.at/faecher/geo/Staaten%20und%20Landschaften/Island/Island%202/Island%202000-0010%20-%20Askja%20-%20Kratersee%20V%C3%ADti.JPG Photo of Víti Crater]


Scientific papers


Earthice, Univ. of Iceland, description of Askja

Askja, Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution

Asta R. Hjartadóttir (2008): ''The fissure swarm of the Askja central volcano'', Univ. of Iceland
(PDF)
Rymer, Hazel: ''The case of the shrinking volcano'', 19.11.2009 (Blogpost of the geophysicist)

UP60q3hTuL0bQFayjWySe2pbcHXPDZorubx8kmqCf_1h8qfhNK96ufjwrE1OtY0T5jRPfGrBVxChdVBHFtgfgBfthdw5YCWuUAC2x89gg1TGjBR_hf8-1GoQtO&sig=AHIEtbTVxfbK9oIgvpHCLi7O2Yv8YudG7Q A. Key, e.a.: ''Crustal seismicity beneath Askja volcano reflecting plate tectonics and melt movement.'' (Zur Erdbebentätigkeit an der Askja)
(PDF, 31 KB)
Rymer, H., C. Locke, B. G. Ófeigsson, P. Einarsson, and E. Sturkell (2010):'' New mass increase beneath Askja volcano, Iceland – a precursor to renewed activity?'' Terra Nova, 22, 309–313.

Sigurdur Thorarinsson, and G. E. Sigvaldason: ''The eruption in Askja 1961, a preliminary report.'' American Journal of Science, Vol. 260, November 1962, P.641-651
(Abstract)
Eysteinn Tryggvason: ''Ground deformation in Askja, Iceland: its source and possible relation to flow of the mantle plume'', Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 39 (1989) 61–71 61
(PDF)
Erik Sturkell, Freysteinn Sigmundsson: ''Continuous deflation of the Askja caldera, Iceland, during the 1983–1998 noneruptive period'', JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 105, NO. B11, PP. 25,671–25,684, 2000
(PDF)
Heidi Soosalu, Janet Key, Robert S. White, Clare Knox, Páll Einarsson und Steinunn S. Jakobsdóttir: ''Lower-crustal earthquakes caused by magma movement beneath Askja volcano on the north Iceland rift'', Bulletin of Volcanology, Vol. 72, no. 1, 55–62
(Springer-Link, Abstract)
Heidi Soosalu, e.a.: ''Askja 2007 – Scientific Project.''
(PDF)
Rymer, Hazel and Tryggvason, Eysteinn (1993): ''Gravity and elevation changes at Askja, Iceland.'' Bulletin of Volcanology, 55(5), pp. 362–371.
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