Eyjafjallajökull

About Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajökull is an ice-capped volcano in South Iceland that rises above the Ring Road between Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, and its 2010 eruption grounded flights across Europe. The name breaks down into eyja (islands), fjalla (mountains) and jökull (glacier), which together read as the glacier of the island mountains.

Geologically, Eyjafjallajökull is a stratovolcano about 1,666 meters high, with an ice-filled summit caldera roughly 2.5 kilometers wide. It erupted around 920, in 1612 to 1613 and from 1821 to 1823 before waking again in 2010.

That eruption started on March 20 as a fissure on Fimmvörðuháls, the pass between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull, and left two new craters later named Magni and Móði. On April 14 it moved under the summit ice, where magma meeting meltwater turned it explosive. The ash cloud closed much of northern Europe's airspace for about a week, and sustained activity ended in late May.

For most visitors the volcano is something to look at rather than climb. From Reykjavík it takes about two hours to reach the foot of the mountain, and the glacier and its outlet tongues are clear from the road around Seljalandsfoss, Seljavallalaug and Skógar. Morning light on a dry day gives the sharpest view, while low cloud can hide the ice cap entirely.

To get closer, a super jeep tour into Þórsmörk passes Gígjökull, the outlet glacier on the volcano's north side, and helicopter flights from Reykjavík fly over or alongside the summit. The Fimmvörðuháls trail from Skógar crosses the 2010 lava field by Magni and Móði, a long mountain hike that needs good weather and proper gear. Never go onto the glacier itself without an experienced guide.