Highlands Volcanoes

21 volcanoes in Highlands — mapped with live road conditions, drive times, and directions.

21 volcanoes in Highlands

Strýtur

Part of Iceland's volcanic backbone. The country has over 30 active volcanic systems. This one's contribution to the landscape is all around you.

840 m

Iceland's most frequently erupting volcano, hidden under Vatnajökull glacier. Erupts every 5-10 years on average. The 2011 eruption closed airspace again. You can't visit directly, but its power shapes the landscape around it.

Active

Bárðarbunga

Caused the massive Holuhraun eruption in 2014-2015 - the largest Icelandic lava flow in 230 years. Deep under Vatnajökull glacier. Still very active. The lava field it created is now a surreal black desert you can visit.

Active

Esjufjöll

The subglacial Esjufjöll volcano is located in the south-east part of the Vatnajökull icecap. Esjufjöll is a strict nature reserve.

Dormant

Hveravellir

One of Iceland's many volcanic systems. Some are famous, some are quiet. They all contribute to the geothermal energy and dramatic landscapes.

Dormant

Hofsjökull

Volcanic feature in Iceland's active zone. The island sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and this is part of why. Reminders that this land is still being made.

Dormant

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Hamarinn

Hamarinn var stór og hár hólmi, laus frá landi og stórklettóttur á allar hliðar; ofan á honum var grashóll, grænn eða bleikur eftir árstíðum. Þar uppi á hólnum var stórt sauðahús af torfi og grjóti er Sandgerðisbændur áttu. Þannig leit Hamarinn út til haustsins 1907 að fyrstu aðgerðir hófust um vélbátaverstöðvar í Sandgerði. Að vísu hafði vélbátaútgerð Björns Gíslasonar starfað þar frá febrúarbyrjun til ágústloka það ár.

Active

Kverkfjöll

Kverkfjöll is a potentially active central volcano, fissure swarm, and associated mountain range situated on the northern border of the glacier Vatnajökull in Iceland.

Active

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Holuhraun

Evidence of Iceland's fiery origins. Every landscape here was shaped by volcanoes, whether erupting today or millions of years ago.

Eiríksjökull

Eiríksjökull is a glacier north-west of Langjökull in Iceland, with an area of 22 km2 (8.5 sq mi) reaching a height of 1,675 m (5,495 ft), atop the largest table mountain in Iceland which goes by the same name.

Extinct

Grímsvötn

Dormant

Kerlingarfjöll

Kerlingarfjöll is a 1,477 m (4,846 ft) tall volcanic massif in Iceland situated in the Highlands of Iceland near the Kjölur highland road. It is usually regarded as part of a large tuya fissure system of 100 km2 (39 sq mi) in the southern portion of the Hofsjökull volcanic system, although is about 20–30 km (12–19 mi) in diameter itself, and is between 68 and 350 thousand years old predating some of the activity in the rest of the system. The volcanic origin of these mountains is evidenced by tholeiite basalt deposits, the numerous hot springs and rivulets in the area, as well as red volcanic ...

Dormant

Trölladyngja

Situated in the Ódáðahraun lava field, Trölladyngja is the biggest of the Icelandic shield volcanoes, reaching a height of 1,460 metres (4,790 ft) above sea level, and rising almost 600 m (2,000 ft) above the surrounding desert and lava fields. It part of the Bárðarbunga volcanic system and has a volume of 15 km3 (3.6 cu mi) with some extensive lava flows to the north of Bárðarbunga.

Dormant

Thordarhyrna

Thordarhyrna is one of seven subglacial volcanoes beneath the Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland. It is a paired active central volcano with Grímsvötn, and can be classified as part of the Grímsvötn-Laki volcanic system, with common fissure swarms to the south.

Dormant