Data from the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution
Details for: Grimsvotn
An ash plume rises from a new crater near the southern margin of Grímsvötn caldera in November 2004. Grímsvötn, Iceland's most frequently active volcano in historical time, lies largely beneath the vast Vatnajökull icecap. The 6 x 8 km wide caldera is the source of frequent jökulhlaups (glacier outburst floods) produced when melting raises the water level high enough to lift its ice dam. Long NE-SW-trending fissure systems extend from the central volcano, including the noted Laki (Skaftar) fissure, which erupted in 1783. Photo by Freysteinn Sigmundsson, 2004 (Nordic Volcanological Center).
Volcano Number:373010
Volcano Name:Grimsvotn
Country:Iceland
Volcano Type:Caldera
Last Eruption:2011 CE
Elevation:1719m
Tectonic Setting:Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Pop. within 5km:0
Pop. within 10km:0
Pop. within 30km:0
Pop. within 100km:1736
Latitude:64.416
Longitude:-17.316


Eruption Data from the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution
Volcano Number Volcano Name Eruption Number Activity Type Explosivity Index Max Explosivity Index Modifier Activity Area Activity Unit Start Evidence Method Start Date End Date
373010 Grimsvotn 12755 Confirmed Eruption 6 Saksunarvatn tephra Radiocarbon (corrected) -8230
373010 Grimsvotn 12756 Confirmed Eruption 0 Laki (Botnahraun) Tephrochronology -4550
373010 Grimsvotn 12757 Confirmed Eruption 0 S of Thordarhyrna (Bergvatnsarhraun) Tephrochronology -3550
373010 Grimsvotn 12758 Confirmed Eruption 2 Raudholar and Brunuholar Tephrochronology -1950
373010 Grimsvotn 12759 Confirmed Eruption 2 Halsagigur Tephrochronology -50
373010 Grimsvotn 12760 Confirmed Eruption Tephrochronology 910
373010 Grimsvotn 12761 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 960
373010 Grimsvotn 12762 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1010
373010 Grimsvotn 12763 Confirmed Eruption Tephrochronology 1060
373010 Grimsvotn 12764 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1090
373010 Grimsvotn 12765 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1150
373010 Grimsvotn 12766 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1190
373010 Grimsvotn 12767 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1230
373010 Grimsvotn 12768 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1270
373010 Grimsvotn 12769 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1290
373010 Grimsvotn 12770 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1310
373010 Grimsvotn 12771 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1332
373010 Grimsvotn 12772 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1341
373010 Grimsvotn 12773 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1350
373010 Grimsvotn 12774 Confirmed Eruption Historical Observations 1354
373010 Grimsvotn 12775 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1369
373010 Grimsvotn 12776 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1370
373010 Grimsvotn 12777 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1390
373010 Grimsvotn 12778 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1430
373010 Grimsvotn 12779 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1450
373010 Grimsvotn 12780 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1469
373010 Grimsvotn 12781 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1470
373010 Grimsvotn 12782 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1471
373010 Grimsvotn 12783 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1490
373010 Grimsvotn 12784 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1500
373010 Grimsvotn 12785 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1509
373010 Grimsvotn 12786 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1510
373010 Grimsvotn 12787 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1521
373010 Grimsvotn 12788 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1530
373010 Grimsvotn 12789 Confirmed Eruption 3 ? Historical Observations 1598/11/7
373010 Grimsvotn 12790 Confirmed Eruption 2 Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull; possibly Grímsvötn 1603/10/31 1603
373010 Grimsvotn 12791 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1610
373010 Grimsvotn 12792 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1619/7/29
373010 Grimsvotn 12793 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1622
373010 Grimsvotn 12794 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1629
373010 Grimsvotn 12795 Confirmed Eruption Ice Core 1632
373010 Grimsvotn 12796 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1638/2/24
373010 Grimsvotn 12797 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1659
373010 Grimsvotn 12798 Confirmed Eruption Historical Observations 1665
373010 Grimsvotn 12799 Confirmed Eruption Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull Historical Observations 1681/4/10
373010 Grimsvotn 12800 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1684/11/5 1685
373010 Grimsvotn 12801 Confirmed Eruption Historical Observations 1697
373010 Grimsvotn 12802 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1706/10/15
373010 Grimsvotn 12803 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1716/10/6
373010 Grimsvotn 12804 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1725
373010 Grimsvotn 12805 Confirmed Eruption Historical Observations 1730
373010 Grimsvotn 12806 Confirmed Eruption 2 ? NE of Palsfjall Historical Observations 1753/10/15
373010 Grimsvotn 12807 Confirmed Eruption 2 Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull 1768
373010 Grimsvotn 12808 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1774
373010 Grimsvotn 12809 Confirmed Eruption 4 + Lakagigar (Skaftar) and Grímsvötn Historical Observations 1783 1785/5/26
373010 Grimsvotn 12810 Uncertain Eruption 1794/7/15
373010 Grimsvotn 12812 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1816 1816
373010 Grimsvotn 12814 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1838
373010 Grimsvotn 12815 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1854
373010 Grimsvotn 12816 Uncertain Eruption 2 1861
373010 Grimsvotn 12817 Confirmed Eruption 1 Historical Observations 1867/8/29
373010 Grimsvotn 12818 Confirmed Eruption 4 Historical Observations 1873/1/8 1873
373010 Grimsvotn 12819 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1883/1/15 1883/4/15
373010 Grimsvotn 12821 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1891 1892/3/16
373010 Grimsvotn 12822 Confirmed Eruption 2 Volcano Uncertain 1897
373010 Grimsvotn 12824 Confirmed Eruption Historical Observations 1910
373010 Grimsvotn 12825 Confirmed Eruption 2 ? Volcano Uncertain 1919
373010 Grimsvotn 12826 Confirmed Eruption 2 Historical Observations 1922/9/29 1922/10/23
373010 Grimsvotn 12827 Confirmed Eruption 1 North of Grímsvötn caldera Historical Observations 1933/11/29 1933/12/9
373010 Grimsvotn 12828 Confirmed Eruption 2 Near south caldera wall Historical Observations 1934/3/30 1934/4/7
373010 Grimsvotn 12829 Confirmed Eruption Volcano Uncertain: Vatnajökull 1934/12/21 1934/12/26
373010 Grimsvotn 12830 Confirmed Eruption 1 8 km N of Svartibunki Historical Observations 1938
373010 Grimsvotn 12831 Uncertain Eruption 0 1939
373010 Grimsvotn 12832 Uncertain Eruption 0 1941 1941
373010 Grimsvotn 12833 Uncertain Eruption 1 ? 1945/9/25
373010 Grimsvotn 12834 Uncertain Eruption 0 1948
373010 Grimsvotn 12835 Confirmed Eruption 1 Historical Observations 1954/1/15
373010 Grimsvotn 12836 Uncertain Eruption 1 ? North and south part of caldera 1954/7/16
373010 Grimsvotn 12837 Uncertain Eruption 0 1972/3/16 1972/4/16
373010 Grimsvotn 12838 Confirmed Eruption 2 Near south caldera wall Historical Observations 1983/5/28 1983/6/2
373010 Grimsvotn 12839 Uncertain Eruption 0 1984/8/20
373010 Grimsvotn 12840 Confirmed Eruption 3 ? Gjálp (fissure N of caldera rim) Historical Observations 1996/9/30 1996/11/6
373010 Grimsvotn 12841 Confirmed Eruption 3 South caldera wall Historical Observations 1998/12/18 1998/12/28
373010 Grimsvotn 12842 Confirmed Eruption 3 SW and east sides of caldera Historical Observations 2004/11/1 2004/11/4
373010 Grimsvotn 20767 Confirmed Eruption 4 SW part of the caldera Historical Observations 2011/5/21 2011/5/28
Emissions Data from the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution
Emission ID SO2 Kilotons Start Date End Date
355 10 1983/05/29 1983/05/29
356 10 1996/10/02 1996/10/02
357 30 2004/11/02 2004/11/02
358 300 2011/05/21 2011/05/21

Data from the Earthchem Library
Title Author Release Date DOI Link
The emissions of CO2 and other volatiles from the world’s subaerial volcanoes The emissions of CO2 and other volatiles from the world’s subaerial volcanoes Fischer, Tobias 2020-11-21 10.1594/IEDA/111445 Details
Data from the Earthchem Portal

Data from the SESAR Database

Data from the MaGa Database
Sorry. No data exist for this volcano in the MaGa database.