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Iceland experiences frequent volcanic activity, due to its location both on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary, and being over a hotspot.Nearly thirty volcanoes are known to have erupted in the Holocene epoch; these include Eldgjá, source of the largest lava eruption in human history.
This list of volcanoes in Iceland only includes major active and dormant volcanic mountains, of which at least 18 vents have erupted since human settlement of Iceland began around 900 AD. Subsequent to the main list a list is presented that classifies the volcanoes into zones, systems and types.
All of Iceland's ice capped volcanic plateaus have unique surge-type glaciers, some of the best studied are Brúarjökull, Eyjabakkajökull and Múlajökull. Surge-type glaciers account for less than 1% of glaciers worldwide and are relegated to a narrow climate band with cold marine low arctic conditions.
Iceland's location astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and North American Plates are moving apart, is partly responsible for this intense volcanic activity, but an additional cause is necessary to explain why Iceland is a substantial island while the rest of the ridge mostly consists of seamounts, with peaks below sea level.
Eldvörp–Svartsengi (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈɛltˌvœr̥p–ˈsvar̥(t)sˌeiɲcɪ]); "fire cones–black meadow" in Icelandic also Svartsengi volcanic system) is a volcanic system in the southwest of Iceland on the Southern Peninsula, southeast of Keflavík International Airport and north of the town of Grindavík. Made up of fissures ...
Iceland's location astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and North American Plates are moving apart, is partly responsible for this intense volcanic activity, but an additional cause is necessary to explain why Iceland is a substantial island while the rest of the ridge mostly consists of seamounts, with peaks below sea level.
The Hofsjökull volcanic system (also Hofsjökull-Kerlingarfjöll volcanic system) contains the largest active central volcano in Iceland. [3] It is called Hofsjökull ( Icelandic : " temple glacier", Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhɔfsˌjœːkʏtl̥] ⓘ ), after the icecap of the same name.
The stratovolcano, which is the only large central volcano in its part of Iceland, has many pyroclastic cones on its flanks. Upper-flank craters produced intermediate to felsic materials. Several holocene eruptions have originated from the summit crater and have produced felsic material, [ 2 ] with pumice from the two most recent major ...