Katla

Infobox Mountain
Name = Katla
Photo = Myrdalsjökull glacier iceland 2005 3.jpg
Caption = The Mýrdalsjökull glacier
Elevation = convert|1512|m|ft|0|lk=on
Prominence =
Location = Iceland
Range =
Coordinates = coord|63|38|0|N|19|3|0|W |type:mountain |display=inline,title
Topographic

Type = Subglacial volcano
Volcanic_Arc/Belt=
Age =
Last eruption = 1918
First ascent =
Easiest route =
Translation =
Language =
Pronunciation = The volcano Katla (1450 m) has a reputation as one of the most dangerous volcanoes 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 the extension of the glacier Mýrdalsjökull which lies over it reaches 595 km².

The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 10 km and the volcano normally erupts every 40–80 years. The last major eruption occurred in 1918, although there may have been a small eruption in 1955. Since 930, 16 eruptions have been documented. The Laki craters and the Eldgjá are part of the same volcanic system, so it can be regarded as one of the most powerful in the world. It is thought that Katla is the source of the Vedde Ash (tephra dated to 10,600 years BP [Mangerud , J., Lie, S.V., Furned, H., Kristiansen, I.L., Lømo, L. (1984) A Younger Dryas Ash Bed in Western Norway, and Its Possible Correlations with Tephra in Cores from the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic. Quaternary Research 21 85-104] ) found at a number of sites including Norway, Scotland and North Atlantic cores.

Before the hringvegur (Iceland's road no.1) was constructed, people feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent glacier outburst floods and the deep river crossings. Especially dangerous was the glacier outburst that followed the eruption of 1918. Katla has been showing signs of unrest recently and geologists have concerns that it might erupt in the near future. At the peak of the 1755 eruption the flood discharge has been estimated between 200,000–400,000 m³/s; for comparison the combined average discharge of the Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, and Yangtze rivers is about 290,000 m³/s.

ee also

* Geography of Iceland
* Glaciers of Iceland
* Glacial lake outburst flood
* Iceland plume
* Iceland hotspot
* Lakes of Iceland
* List of islands off Iceland
* List of volcanoes in Iceland
* Plate tectonics
* Rivers of Iceland
* Volcanoes of Iceland
* Waterfalls of Iceland

External links

* [http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/eldgja.html Volcanism 1]
* [http://www.earthice.hi.is/page/ies_katla University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences page about Katla]
* [http://www.ruv.is/katla/ webcam of Katla]