Vatnaöldur () is the name of a series of craters in the
Suðurland region 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 s ...
. They are located in the
Highlands of Iceland
The Highlands of Iceland ( is, hálendið ) are a sparsely inhabited plateau that covers most of the interior of Iceland. They are situated above 400–500 metres (1300–1600 feet) and are mostly an uninhabitable volcanic desert, because the wa ...
, northwest of the
Veiðivötn and northeast of
Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar () is a location in Iceland's Fjallabak Nature Reserve in the Highlands. It is at the edge of the Laugahraun lava field, formed in an eruption in approximately 1477. It is known for its natural geothermal hot springs and ...
, within the municipality of
Rangárþing ytra. It is part of the
East volcanic zone (EVZ).
The craters were formed during a series of eruptions in the volcanic system of the
Bárðarbunga
Bárðarbunga (), is a stratovolcano located under Vatnajökull in Vatnajökull National Park which is Iceland's most extensive glacier. The second highest mountain in Iceland, above sea level, Bárðarbunga is also part of a volcanic system th ...
around the year 870. These eruptions, like those of the neighbouring
Veiðivötn, were from about (or
) long volcanic fissures within the area of a lake. The mainly explosive eruptions emitted of
tholeiite basalt
The tholeiitic magma series is one of two main magma series in subalkaline igneous rocks, the other being the calc-alkaline series. A magma series is a chemically distinct range of magma compositions that describes the evolution of a mafic magma ...
.
[G. Larsen, Thor Thordarson: Phreatomagmatism in the Eastern Volcanic Zone; 25 July 2010][Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program - Vatnaöldur ](_blank)
/ref>
See also
* List of volcanic eruptions 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, ...
* Geology of Iceland
* List of volcanoes in Iceland
This list of volcanoes in Iceland includes active and dormant volcanic mountains, of which 18 have erupted since human settlement of Iceland began around 900 AD.
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List
Volcanic zones and systems
Iceland has four major volcanic ...
* Geological deformation of Iceland
References
Sources
* G. Larsen, Thor Thordarson: Phreatomagmatism in the Eastern Volcanic Zone; Retrieved July 25, 2010
* Commentary by volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson on Bárðarbunga and Vatnaöldur eruptions (Icelandic)
Vatnaöldur. The Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution
Vulkanology_by_Haraldur_Sigurðsson
_on_Bárðarbunga_and_Vatnaöldur_Eruptions_(Isländish).html" ;"title="Haraldur Sigurðsson">Vulkanology by Haraldur Sigurðsson
on Bárðarbunga and Vatnaöldur Eruptions (Isländish)">Haraldur Sigurðsson">Vulkanology by Haraldur Sigurðsson
on Bárðarbunga and Vatnaöldur Eruptions (Isländish)
Faculty of Earth Sciences - University of Iceland 2013. Gravity studies of the structure of the Vatnaöldur and Veiðivötn crater rows, South Central Iceland. Jeanne M. Giniaux
Bárðarbunga
Central volcanoes of Iceland
East Volcanic Zone of Iceland
VEI-5 volcanoes
Volcanic systems of Iceland
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