Prestahnukur Volcano
Updated: May 9, 2024 21:57 GMT -
Shield volcano (subglacial) 1390 m (4,560 ft) (?)
Iceland, 64.6°N / -20.58°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Iceland, 64.6°N / -20.58°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Prestahnukur volcano is a large subglacial shield volcano in SW Iceland. It is located beneath at the SW end of the Langjökull icecap. Prestahnukur has rift zones to the north and SW. Eruptions occurred from the rift zones in the past 10,000 years.
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Prestahnukur volcano eruptions: none during historic times, last eruption radiocarbon-dated at 7550 BC +-500 years
Latest nearby earthquakes
Time | Mag. / Depth | Distance / Location | |||
May 8, 07:52 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.2 3.9 km | 13 km (7.9 mi) to the E | 19.4 km SSE of Eiríksjökull | Info | |
Sunday, May 5, 2024 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
May 5, 04:51 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.4 3.9 km | 10.3 km (6.4 mi) to the SW | Iceland: 16.5 km SSE of Húsafell | Info | |
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 GMT (2 quakes) | |||||
May 1, 03:56 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.3 5.2 km | 18 km (11 mi) to the E | 16.0 km SSE of Eiríksjökull | Info | |
May 1, 12:23 pm (Reykjavik) | 1.1 9.9 km | 10.6 km (6.6 mi) to the E | 20.8 km S of Eiríksjökull | Info |
Background
Hot springs are associated with the rhyolitic Prestahnukur central volcano. The classic Icelandic shield volcano Skjaldbreidur was formed at the southern end of the Prestahnukur volcanic system, between Thorsjökull glacier and Thingvallavatn lake. The broad, low-angle shield volcano produced 17 cu km of basaltic lava flows during the early Holocene.---
Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institute