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Mýrdalsjökull 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. Its peak reaches 1493 m in height and its extension 595 km².
The ice-cap of the glacier covers a dangerous volcano called Katla. The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 10 km and the volcano erupts normally every 40 - 80 years. As the last eruption took place in 1918, scientists are monitoring the volcano very carefully. Since 930, 16 eruptions have been documented. The Laki craters and the Eldgjá being part of the same volcanic system, it can be regarded as one of the most powerful in the world.
Before the hringvegur (road no.1) had been constructed, people feared traversing the plains in front of the volcano because of the frequent glacier runs and the deep rivers to be crossed. Especially fatal was the glacier run after the eruption of 1918.
See also
External links
- http://isafold.de/strutstigur02/img_jokull.htm (Photo of Mýrdalsjökull)
- http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/eldgja.html (Volcanism)de:Mýrdalsjökull