Eyjafjallajökull

Eyjafjallajökull
Aerial view of Eyjafjallajökull from the north-east
TypeIce cap
LocationSouthwestern Iceland
Area66 km2 (25 sq mi)
Thickness200 m (660 ft)
Highest elevation1,666 metres (5,466 ft)
StatusRetreating
Map of Eyjafjallajökull glacier showing its named glacial catchments (light grey shading with white outline). Clicking on the map to enlarge it enables mouse over that allows identification of individual named glacial catchments in Iceland.
Eyjafjallajökull
Guðnasteinn
Hámundur
Gígjökull, Eyjafjallajökull's largest outlet glacier, covered in volcanic ash
Highest point
ElevationMountain: 1,651 m (5,417 ft)
(without ice cap)
Coordinates63°37′12″N 19°36′48″W / 63.62000°N 19.61333°W / 63.62000; -19.61333
Geography
Eyjafjallajökull
Iceland
Selected geological features near the Eyjafjallajökull central volcano (red outline).
Legend
  • Other shading shows:
  •    calderas
  •   central volcanoes
  •   fissure swarms
  •   subglacial terrain above 1,100 m (3,600 ft)
  •   seismically active areas
  • Clicking on the rectangle in the image enlarges to full window and enables mouse-over with more detail.
LocationSuðurland, Iceland
Parent rangeN/A
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Volcanic zoneEast Volcanic Zone
Last eruptionMarch to June 2010

Eyjafjallajökull (Icelandic: [ˈeiːjaˌfjatl̥aˌjœːkʏtl̥] ; "glacier of (the mountain) Eyjafjöll"), sometimes referred to by the numeronym E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 1,651 metres (5,417 ft). The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the Last Glacial Period, most recently in 2010, when, although relatively small for a volcanic eruption, it caused enormous disruption to air travel across northern and western Europe for a week.