Katla (volcano)

For other uses, see Katla (disambiguation).

Katla
Katla eruption, 1918
Highest point
Elevation1,512 m (4,961 ft)[1]
ListingList of volcanoes in Iceland
Coordinates63°38′N 19°03′W / 63.633°N 19.050°W / 63.633; -19.050
Geography
Katla is located in Iceland
Katla
Katla
Iceland
Geology
Mountain typeSubglacial volcano
Last eruptionOctober 12, 1918[a] (Major)[2]
July 17, 1999[b] (Minor)[3]
Map
Selected geological features near the Katla central volcano and its Eldgjá fissure swarm (red outlines). Other shading shows:    calderas,   central volcanoes and   fissure swarms,   subglacial terrain above 1,100 m (3,600 ft), and   seismically active areas. Clicking on the image enlarges to full window and enables mouse-over with more detail.

Katla (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkʰahtla] ⓘ) is an active volcano in southern Iceland. This volcano has been very active historically with at least twenty documented major eruptions since 2920 BC. In its recent history though, Katla has been less active as the last major eruption occurred in 1918. These eruptions have had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of between 4 and 5 on a scale of 0 to 8. In comparison, the Eyjafjallajökull 2010 eruption had a VEI of 4. Larger VEI-5 eruptions are comparable to Mount St. Helens 1980 eruption. These eruptions have produced very large glacial outburst floods. Several smaller (minor) events measuring VEI-1 and below have occurred since.[4]

Katla is one of the largest volcanic sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) on Earth, accounting for up to 4% of total global volcanic carbon dioxide emissions.[5]

  1. ^ "Katla Volcano". Institute of Earth Sciences. University of Iceland. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  2. ^ "Katla Volcano News". Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Katla". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2011 Remains dormant was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Ilyinskaya, Evgenia; Mobbs, Stephen; Burton, Ralph; Burton, Mike; Pardini, Federica; Pfeffer, Melissa Anne; Purvis, Ruth; Lee, James; Bauguitte, Stéphane (2018). "Globally significant CO2 emissions from Katla, a subglacial volcano in Iceland" (PDF). Geophysical Research Letters. 45 (19): 10, 332–10, 341. Bibcode:2018GeoRL..4510332I. doi:10.1029/2018gl079096. ISSN 0094-8276. S2CID 52832814.


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