Mýrdalsjökull

Mýrdalsjökull is a glacier in the south of Iceland. It is situated to the north of Vík í Mýrdal and to the east of the smaller glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Its peak reaches 1493 m in height and its extension 595 km². Austrias longest glacier, the Pasterze, winds its 8 km (5 mile) route at the foot of Austrias highest mountain, the Grossglockner. ...

The ice-cap of the glacier covers a dangerous volcano called Katla. The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 10 km and the volcano erupts normally every 40 - 80 years. As the last eruption took place in 1918, scientists are monitoring the volcano very carefully. Since 930, 16 eruptions have been documented. The Laki craters and the Eldgjá being part of the same volcanic system, it can be regarded as one of the most powerful in the world. A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where magma (rock of the earths interior made molten or liquid by high pressure and temperature) erupts through the surface of the planet. ... The volcano Katla (1450 m) has a reputation as one of the most dangerous volcanoes of Iceland. ... The word crater may refer to A landform resembling a pit or depression in the topography that can be formed in several ways: speculation exists that a meteorite impact with another body can cause an impact crater, an electrical discharge on any scale tends to form circular craters, volcanic activity... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The name Laki has more than one meaning:- A town called Laki in Plovdiv district in Bulgaria. ... Eldgjá is a volcanic canyon in Iceland. ...

Before the hringvegur (road no.1) had been constructed, people feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent glacier runs and the deep rivers to be crossed. Especially fatal was the glacier run after the eruption of 1918. 1. ... A so-called glacier run (literal translation of Icelandic jökulhlaup) is due to the eruption of a volcano under a glacier. ...

See also

• Geography of Iceland
• Volcanoes of Iceland

A true colour image of Iceland captured by NASAs Aqua satellite on January 28, 2004. ... Iceland has a very high number of active volcanoes due to its unique geological conditions. ...

External links

• http://isafold.de/strutstigur02/img_jokull.htm (Photo of Mýrdalsjökull)
• http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/eldgja.html (Volcanism)