Öræfajökull

Öræfajökull coming from Skaftafell

Öræfajökull ( German " Einöds or desert glacier " ) is the name of an Icelandic glacier, which is part of Vatnajökull and located in the southeast of Vatnajökull National Park. The name refers indeed to the glacier, but it is used also for the underlying volcanic massif. Its highest peak is 2110 m Hvannadalshnúkur the highest point of Iceland. The area is located in the municipality Hornafjörður.

Situation of the glacier volcano

The volcano under the glacier is located in a not very densely populated area about 100 km west of the city Höfn and since 2004 has been part of the Vatnajökull National Park.

Name of glacier volcano

Öræfajökull has erupted twice since the settlement. Due to the ash and glacier runs many farms were destroyed. The area around the volcano is called therefore also Öræfi ( German desert, wasteland ). It is one of the most isolated parts of Iceland.

The volcano was previously Hnappafellsjökull, we also find the name Knappafell for the mountain, on the other hand, hot mountain peaks at the summit Hnappar and a yard at its foot Hnappavellir.

Following eruptions in the 14th century that made desolate the land, and especially almost wiped out the community Litlahérað, it was renamed in Öræfajökull ( Einödegletscher ).

Geology

The Öræfajökull belongs to the group of stratovolcanoes. The volcanic massif comprises 285 km ³, making it one of the largest in Iceland. At the summit there is a 5 km wide caldera, which is filled with glacier ice.

The caldera is about 550 meters deep and nine valley glaciers extend from it down to the lowlands. 14 mountain peaks rise on the outskirts of Caldera on, all over 1500 meters high, three of which are among the highest in the country and one of them is Hvannadalshnúkur.

Volcanic activity

In August 2011, unusually high seismic activity were at Öræfajökull the third time in the last 20 years measured.

The outbreak of 1362

Since the colonization of the volcano has devastated the area in two huge explosive eruptions. The first, a Plinian eruption took place in 1362 and destroyed several thriving communities. 42 farms were destroyed and an entire district, Litlahérað (small district), also HERAD milli sanda called (district between the sandy plains ), then fell into desolation.

It was the largest explosive eruption in Iceland in the last 1,100 years and the third largest since the end of the Ice Age about 10,000 years ago. The approximately 10 km ³ of volcanic ash and loose material were carried by the wind, especially to the north and northwest and such that could be observed even in the 400 km distant West Fjords still strong ash fall. Notable quantities of ash layer can be seen even in the domestic desert today. The outbreak was also associated with strong glacier runs.

Geological studies have shown that the outbreak sites were in the summit area. The eruption also represents the most significant outbreak rhyolitic tephra in historical time in Iceland is a strength to that of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 is comparable.

Only a few sources, including the Annals of Skálholt, disaster proof. There is particularly reports of the effects of the strong Tephrafalls. The ash and volcanic slag could, for example, the outflow of rivers and streams clogged until the water had broken through the barrier and a flood would have caused. The ships had difficulty maneuvering in the Westfjords had, because the loose material was so thick on the water.

A tradition reports, the only survivor of the disaster was a shepherd boy who had taken refuge in a cave above Svinafell. It knows no exact figures on the deaths at that time, but should yield a considerable number of about 400 people living there have come to death. This would be the most devastating outbreak in the history of Iceland apart from the Lakiausbrüchen 1783 until 1784. Other hand, one also has no figures on the impact of Eldgjá - volcanic eruptions and several other.

The outbreak of 1727

In August of 1727 the volcano erupted again, but this issue's explosive outburst by far did not reach the strength of that of 1362. Process, a fissure opened further down the mountain, above the sandy fur.

However, there were again numerous glacier runs. The water was huge Eisklötze with them that were long on the sands before they wegtauten. Their traces can be found there today. About this outbreak is a detailed description of the pastor of the local church community, Jón Þorláksson before.

The series of eruptions lasted until April or May 1728.

The glacier

The glacier fills the 14 km ² caldera of the volcano. From it rich some glacier tongues up into the valley. The slopes have an average slope of 14 °.

They include, for example, the Svinafellsjökull ( in the west), or Kvíajökull (in the south ), which can be found at 100 meters the highest glacial moraines Islands. At the foot of Fjallsjökull (in the east ) there is a small glacial lake with icebergs and floes. In addition, the glacier with the Vatnajökull is fixed, the side glacier he is.

The glacier had a not to be underestimated influence on geology as a science, more specifically, glaciology, because of the ( presumed ) first ascent, the physician and naturalist Sveinn Pálsson in 1794 when viewing the glacier recognized from above that glaciers flow properties of highly have viscous materials and therefore the glaciers flowing down the mountain, albeit much more slowly than water.

Sediments on Svinafell

When Svinafell find sediment deposits from the Ice Age. The layers are about 120 m thick and contain mainly Plant remains about birch, crowberry, various browsing and ferns. A similar vegetation as found today in Iceland. Among them are basalt layers above them, however inter alia, Pillow lava, indicating a formation during the Ice Age. And indeed, is the age of the layers about half a million years.

Colonization of the area

Although came close at Ingólfshöfði with Ingólfur Arnarson around the year 870 of the first settlers on land and then settled in Reykjavík, this area was inhabited even much later.

Landmark Öræfajökull

The glacier volcano also forms the south-eastern tip of Iceland. As such, he has always been a landmark for sailors. In the 20th and 21st centuries controlled and control the aircraft that fly from Europe to Iceland, on the mountain.