Grímsvötn is a caldera volcano located in Iceland at an elevation of 1,719 meters within a rift zone and oceanic crust tectonic setting. According to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program's official record, the volcano has a confirmed total of 76 eruptions spanning from prehistoric periods to the 21st century. The earliest recorded eruption dates back to 8230 BCE (with a 50-year uncertainty), while the latest confirmed eruption occurred from May 21 to May 25, 2011.
Eruptive History and Timeline Overview
The historical record for Grímsvötn includes events documented through various scientific and observational methods, ranging from calibrated radiocarbon dating and ice-core sidereal records to direct historical reporting. Across the 76 confirmed eruptions, the largest recorded Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) reached 6.0. Out of the total confirmed events, 40 have associated VEI observations.
Eruptive activity is distributed across multiple centuries in the official record. Examples of the varied historical documentation include early prehistoric events like the VEI 6 eruption around 8230 BCE, medieval entries such as a reported activity in 1354, ice-core documented events in 1622, and precisely dated eyewitness accounts such as the June 16, 1838 eruption (VEI 2), up to the 2011 caldera activity (VEI 4).
Distribution of Eruptions by Century
The frequency of recorded eruptions varies across centuries according to the official collection. The distribution highlights periods with higher numbers of documented events, such as the 17th century CE, as well as prehistoric intervals.
- 36th century BCE: 1 recorded eruption
- 46th century BCE: 1 recorded eruption
- 83rd century BCE: 1 recorded eruption
- 20th century BCE: 1 recorded eruption
- 1st century BCE: 1 recorded eruption
- 10th century CE: 2 recorded eruptions
- 11th century CE: 3 recorded eruptions
- 12th century CE: 2 recorded eruptions
- 13th century CE: 3 recorded eruptions
- 14th century CE: 8 recorded eruptions
- 15th century CE: 7 recorded eruptions
- 16th century CE: 5 recorded eruptions
- 17th century CE: 12 recorded eruptions
- 18th century CE: 8 recorded eruptions
- 19th century CE: 8 recorded eruptions
- 20th century CE: 11 recorded eruptions
- 21st century CE: 2 recorded eruptions
Image credits
- NASA/MODIS Rapid Response System — Wikimedia Commons source — Public domain
Sources and further context
Official datasets support the event-specific facts.