Mýrdalsjökull

Mýrdalsjökull (pronounced [ˈmirtalsˌjœːkʏtl] ( listen), Icelandic for "(the) mire dale glacier" or "(the) mire valley glacier") 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. Between these two glaciers is Fimmvörðuháls pass. Its peak reaches 1,493 m (4,898 ft) in height and in 1980 it covered an area of 595 km² (230 sq mi).

The icecap of the glacier covers an active volcano called Katla. The caldera of the volcano has a diameter of 10 km (6.2 mi) and the volcano erupts usually every 40–80 years. As the last eruption took place in 1918, scientists are monitoring the volcano very carefully as they believe an eruption of Katla is on the cards, particularly after the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull began in April 2010. Since 930, 16 eruptions have been documented.

As the Eldgjá, a volcanic eruption fissure of about 30 km (19 mi) length, erupting in the year 936, is part of the same volcanic system, it can be regarded as one of the most powerful in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Before the hringvegur (the main road round the island) was built, people feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent jökulhlaups (glacial floods) and the deep rivers to be crossed. Especially dangerous was the glacial flood after the eruption of 1918 when the coastline was extended by 5 km (3.1 mi) by laharic flood deposits.

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  Mýrdalsjökull

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  An "ice castle" formation on Mýrdalsjökull

See also

• Geography of Iceland
• Glaciers of Iceland
• Iceland plume
• List of lakes in Iceland
• List of islands of Iceland
• List of volcanoes in Iceland
• List of rivers of Iceland
• Volcanism of Iceland
• Waterfalls of Iceland
• List of glaciers

External links

• http://www.nimbus.it/glaciorisk/Glacier_view.asp?IdGlacier=3965&Vista=paese&Paese=Iceland&IdTipoRischio= (Details of all known Glacier Runs from Mýrdalsjökull)
• http://isafold.de/strutstigur02/img_jokull.htm (Photo of Mýrdalsjökull)
• http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/eldgja.html^{[dead link]} (Volcanism)
• Katla: eruption preparedness for tourists

Coordinates: 63°40′N 19°06′W / 63.667°N 19.1°W / 63.667; -19.1