Events & Courses

The most volcanically active area of Iceland is situated beneath and surrounding the big ice-cap of Vatnajokull.  The south-eastern part of this area is associated with the well-known devastating fissure-fed basaltic subaerial lava flow eruptions of Eldgja (934AD) and Laki (1783-84), both of which included contemporaneous subglacial eruptions along the same fissure zone.

The less well-known Sida Formation also occurs in this area and records a long history of repeated interaction of very similar large-volume fissure eruptions along the margins of the ice-cap.  The talk focusses on what happens when such large eruptions occur around the edges of an ice-cap and discusses hazard implications for aircraft.

Talk given by Ian Skilling (University of South Wales)

Arrive 5:30 pm for 6 pm