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80-585: Geologically, Veiðivötn is part of the Bárðarbunga volcanic system . In c. 6600 B.C., long before the settlement of Iceland , prehistoric eruptions from the region produced the Þjórsá Lava , the largest lava flow in Iceland , and the largest to have erupted anywhere on Earth during the Holocene . Veiðivötn's current landscape was created in 1477 by an explosive VEI-6 fissure eruption of tholeiitic basalt . It

160-651: A hotspot , the Iceland hotspot , which in turn lies over a mantle plume (the Iceland Plume ), a column of anomalously hot rock in the Earth's mantle which is likely to be partly responsible for the island's creation and continued existence. For comparison, it is estimated that other volcanic islands, such as the Faroe Islands have existed for about 55 million years, the Azores (on

240-456: A central volcano. Roughly a fifth of the Icelandic population died because of the eruption. Most died not because of the lava flow or other direct effects of the eruption but from indirect effects, including changes in climate and illnesses in livestock in the following years caused by the ash and poisonous gases from the eruption. The eruption resulted in the second largest basaltic lava flow from

320-473: A civil war between the religious groups seemed likely, the Alþingi appointed one of the chieftains, Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi , to decide the issue of religion by arbitration. He decided that the country should convert to Christianity as a whole, but that pagans would be allowed to worship privately. The first Icelandic bishop, Ísleifur Gissurarson , was consecrated by bishop Adalbert of Hamburg in 1056. During

400-523: A climate shift occurred—a phenomenon now called the Little Ice Age . Areas near the Arctic Circle such as Iceland and Greenland began to have shorter growing seasons and colder winters. Since Iceland had marginal farmland in good times, the climate change resulted in hardship for the population. A serfdom-like institution called the vistarband developed, in which peasants were bound to landowners for

480-636: A fissure eruption began adjacent to the summit of Litli-Hrútur . On December 18, 2023, at 22:17 near Hagafell, the volcano began a fissure eruption. In January, 2024 lava from this eruption destroyed 3 houses in the nearby town of Grindavík . The smooth flowing basaltic lava pāhoehoe is known in Icelandic as helluhraun [ˈhɛtlʏˌr̥œyːn] . It forms smooth surfaces that are quite easy to cross. More viscous lava forms ʻaʻā flows, known in Icelandic as apalhraun [ˈaːpalˌr̥œyːn] . The loose, broken, sharp, spiny surface of an ʻaʻā flow makes hiking across it difficult, slow and dangerous, it

560-537: A judicial body and had been abolished in 1800. In 1874, a thousand years after the first acknowledged settlement, Denmark granted Iceland a constitution and limited home rule over domestic matters, which was expanded in 1904. The constitution was revised in 1903, and a minister for Icelandic affairs, residing in Reykjavík , was made responsible to the Althing, the first of whom was Hannes Hafstein . Iceland and Denmark signed

640-545: A land inhabited almost entirely by farmers who could ill-afford to travel far from their farms, across the island to fight for their leaders. In 1220, Snorri Sturluson became a vassal of Haakon IV of Norway ; his nephew Sturla Sighvatsson also became a vassal in 1235. Sturla used the power and influence of the Sturlungar family clan to wage war against the other clans in Iceland. The Norwegian king's power of Iceland increased over

720-647: A large volcano with a caldera and rhyolite lavas in the MIB has explosive eruption potential but has not erupted underneath its ice cover for several thousand years and its companion Kerlingarfjöll for even longer. Arc volcanism has been thought to be occurring in the Snæfellsnes volcanic belt with alkaline magma series volcanism in the stratovolcanoes such as Snæfellsjökull which usually erupt effusive basaltic lava but can have infrequent explosive silicic eruptions followed by extrusion of intermediate composition lava. However

800-490: A long time, one of the world's last uninhabited larger islands (alongside New Zealand and Madagascar ). It has been suggested that the land called Thule by the Greek geographer Pytheas (fourth century BCE) was actually Iceland, although it seems highly unlikely considering Pytheas' description of it as an agricultural country with plenty of milk, honey, and fruit; the name is more likely to have referred to Norway , or possibly

880-542: A mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula . Lava flow from a 200-meter fissure was first discovered by an Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter on March 19, 2021, in the Geldingadalur area near Grindavík , and within hours the fissure had grown to 500 m (1,600 ft) in length. Another eruption, very similar to the 2021 eruption, began on 3 August 2022, and ceased on 21 August 2022. On 10 July 2023 at 16:40 UTC,

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960-426: A need for peaceful settlement in other lands. It is also believed that the western fjords of Norway were simply overcrowded in this period. The settlement of Iceland is thoroughly recorded in the aforementioned Landnámabók , although the book was compiled in the early 12th century when at least 200 years had passed from the age of settlement. Ari Þorgilsson 's Íslendingabók is generally considered more reliable as

1040-525: A period known as the Old Commonwealth, and Icelandic historians began to document the nation's history in books referred to as sagas of Icelanders . In the early thirteenth century, the internal conflict known as the age of the Sturlungs weakened Iceland, which eventually became subjugated to Norway over the 13th century. The Old Covenant (1262–1264), and the adoption of Jónsbók (1281) effectively ended

1120-481: A place he named Reykjavík "Smoke Cove", probably from the geothermal steam rising from the earth. This place eventually became the capital and the largest city of modern Iceland. It is recognized, however, that Ingólfur Arnarson may not have been the first one to settle permanently in Iceland—that may have been Náttfari , one of Garðar Svavarsson 's men who stayed behind when Garðar returned to Scandinavia. Much of

1200-470: A single eruption in historic times. Eldfell is a volcanic cone on the east side of the island of Heimaey which formed during an eruption in January 1973. The eruption happened without warning, causing the island's population of about 5,300 people to evacuate on fishing boats within a few hours. Importantly, the progress of lava into the harbour was slowed by manual spraying of seawater. One person died, and

1280-508: A source and is probably somewhat older, but it is far less thorough. It does say that Iceland was fully settled within 60 years, which likely means that all arable land had been claimed by various settlers. In 2016, archaeologists uncovered a longhouse in Stöðvarfjörður that has been dated to as early as 800. Other, similar finds in Iceland have been dated to a similar time, preceding the traditional settlement date significantly. In 930,

1360-416: A year at a time. It became more difficult to raise barley , the primary cereal crop, and livestock required additional fodder to survive longer and colder winters. Icelanders began to trade for grain from continental Europe, which was an expensive proposition. Church fast days increased demand for dried codfish , which was easily caught and prepared for export, and the cod trade became an important part of

1440-412: Is a stratovolcano and is roughly 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level in central Iceland, i.e. in the northern edge of Vatnajökull. This makes it the second highest mountain in Iceland. Hóluhraun is an older lavafield situated 50 km (31 mi) north-east of Bárðarbunga, 20 km (12 mi) south of Askja (last eruption 1961), at an altitude of about 700 m (2,300 ft). Here

1520-634: Is a young island. It started to form in the Miocene era about 20 million years ago from a series of volcanic eruptions on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge , where it lies between the North American Plate and Eurasian Plate . These plates spread at a rate of approximately 2.5 centimeters per year. This elevated portion of the ridge is known as the Reykjanes Ridge . The volcanic activity is attributed to

1600-674: Is easy to stick a foot into a hole and break a leg. History of Iceland The recorded history of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from Western Europe , particularly in modern-day Norway and the British Isles , in the late ninth century. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. Recorded settlement has conventionally been dated back to 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks from Ireland, known as papar according to sagas , may have settled Iceland earlier. The land

1680-578: Is higher than the output rate of the Hawaiian volcanoes, and would be double or even triple this figure if intrusive volumes are included. The types of eruptions most likely in a particular Icelandic volcanic system or zone are now understood. Earthquakes and volcanism have patterns in time and place that can be combined into a consistent tectonic process that is explained by the geological deformation of Iceland . In summary in Iceland there are four main types of tectonic zones: These tectonic zones result from

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1760-714: Is mostly to be found in the Neovolcanic Zone , comprising the Reykjanes volcanic belt (RVB), the West volcanic zone (WVZ), the Mid-Iceland belt (MIB), the East volcanic zone (EVZ) and the North volcanic zone (NVZ). Two lateral volcanic zones play a minor role: Öræfi volcanic belt (ÖVB also known as Öræfajökull volcanic system) and Snæfellsnes volcanic belt (SVB). Outside of the main island are

1840-530: Is unknown whether they were brought there at that time or came later with Vikings after circulating for centuries. There is some literary evidence that monks from a Hiberno-Scottish mission may have settled in Iceland before the arrival of the Norsemen . The Landnámabók ("Book of Settlements"), written in the 1100s, mentions the presence of Irish monks, called the Papar , prior to Norse settlement and states that

1920-490: Is usually considered to have been a Norwegian chieftain named Ingólfur Arnarson and his wife, Hallveig Fróðadóttir . According to the Landnámabók , he threw two carved pillars ( Öndvegissúlur ) overboard as he neared land, vowing to settle wherever they landed. He then sailed along the coast until the pillars were found in the southwestern peninsula, now known as Reykjanesskagi . There he settled with his family around 874, in

2000-461: The staðamál , two major disputes over whether secular aristocrats should benefit from the tithes of proprietary churches they had founded. The latter, concluded in 1297, saw a significant shift of wealth and power from the aristocracy to the Church, which was increasingly independent of secular influence. Little changed in the decades following the treaty. Norway's consolidation of power in Iceland

2080-607: The Black Death and the Protestant Reformation imposed by Denmark. Iceland's history has also been marked by a number of natural disasters. Iceland is a relatively young island in the geological sense, being formed about 20 million years ago by a series of volcanic eruptions in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge , but it is still growing from fresh volcanic eruptions. The oldest stone specimens found in Iceland date back to c.  16 million years ago. In geological terms, Iceland

2160-664: The Danish–Icelandic Act of Union on 1 December 1918, recognizing the Kingdom of Iceland as a fully sovereign state joined with Denmark in a personal union with the Danish king. Iceland established its own flag. Denmark was to represent its foreign affairs and defense interests. Iceland had no military or naval forces, and Denmark was to give notice to other countries that it was permanently neutral. The act would be up for revision in 1940 and could be revoked three years later if agreement

2240-430: The Faroe Islands or Shetland . Many of the early settlers were Thelir , fleeing the recent union of Norway under Harald Fairhair and came from Telemark . A similar argument explains the name of Greenland from Grenland , neighbouring Telemark and also populated by Thelir . The exact date that humans first reached the island is uncertain. Roman currency dating to the third century has been found in Iceland, but it

2320-737: The Kingdom of Iceland on 1 December 1918. However, Iceland shared the Danish Monarchy until World War II . Although Iceland was neutral in the Second World War, the United Kingdom invaded and peacefully occupied it in 1940 to forestall a Nazi occupation, after Denmark was overrun by the German Wehrmacht . Due to the island's strategic position in the North Atlantic, the Allies occupied

2400-461: The Mid-Atlantic Ridge , a divergent tectonic plate boundary , and being over a hotspot . Nearly thirty volcanoes are known to have erupted in the Holocene epoch ; these include Eldgjá , source of the largest lava eruption in human history. Some of the various eruptions of lava, gas and ash have been both destructive of property and deadly to life over the years, as well as disruptive to local and European air travel. Holocene volcanism in Iceland

2480-657: The Reykjanes Ridge (RR), as part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the south-west and the Kolbeinsey Ridge (KR) to the north. Two transform zones are connecting these volcano-tectonic zones: the South Iceland seismic zone (SISZ) in the south of Iceland and the Tjörnes transform zone (TFZ) in the north. The island has around 30 active volcanic systems. Within each are volcano-tectonic fissure systems and many, but not all of them, also have at least one central volcano (mostly in

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2560-525: The Turkish Abductions . After the end of the Kalmar Union, the royal government asserted greater control of Iceland. In particular, it took stronger actions to stop the involvement of English traders with Iceland. English and German merchants became more prominent in Iceland at the start of the 15th century. Some historians refer to the 15th century as the "English Age" in Iceland's history, due to

2640-532: The "German Age" by Icelandic historians due to the prominence of German traders. The Germans did not engage in much fishing themselves, but they owned fishing boats, rented them to Icelanders and then bought the fish from Icelandic fishermen to export to the European Continent. An illicit trade continued with foreigners after the Danes implemented a trade monopoly. Dutch and French traders became more prominent in

2720-554: The 11th and 12th centuries, the centralization of power had worn down the institutions of the commonwealth, as the former, notable independence of local farmers and chieftains gave way to the growing power of a handful of families and their leaders. The period from around 1200 to 1262 is generally known as the Age of the Sturlungs . This refers to Sturla Þórðarson and his sons, Sighvatr Sturluson , and Snorri Sturluson , who were one of two main clans fighting for power over Iceland, causing havoc in

2800-413: The Danish government, which at this time pursued mercantilist policies. The Danish–Icelandic Trade Monopoly remained in effect until 1786. In the 18th century, climatic conditions in Iceland reached an all-time low since the original settlement. On top of this, Laki erupted in 1783, spitting out 12.5 cubic kilometres (3.0 cu mi) of lava. Floods, ash, and fumes killed 9,000 people and 80% of

2880-582: The Icelandic Commonwealth. Norway, in turn, was united with Sweden (1319) and then Denmark (1376). Eventually all of the Nordic states were united in one alliance, the Kalmar Union (1397–1523), but on its dissolution, Iceland fell under Danish rule. The subsequent strict Danish–Icelandic Trade Monopoly in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was detrimental to the economy. Iceland's resultant poverty

2960-518: The Middle Ages. They may also have been hermits. An archaeological excavation has revealed the ruins of a cabin in Hafnir on the Reykjanes peninsula (close to Keflavík International Airport ). Carbon dating reveals that the cabin was abandoned somewhere between 770 and 880, suggesting that Iceland was populated well before 874. This archaeological find may also indicate that the monks left Iceland before

3040-551: The NVZ. The compositional series are thus tholeiitic basalt , transitional alkalic basalts and alkalic (felsic). Large extrusive, predominantly tholeiitic basaltic lava fields and shields with theoleiitic lava are the predominant material erupted and are found in the RVB, WVZ, MIB, EVZ and NVZ. They are associated with divergence tectonics of the ridge plate boundaries. Central volcanoes, with associated fissure swarms are typical, except in

3120-558: The Norse arrived. According to the Landnámabók , Iceland was discovered by Naddodd , one of the first settlers in the Faroe Islands, who was sailing from Norway to the Faroes but lost his way and drifted to the east coast of Iceland. Naddodd called the country Snæland "Snowland". Swedish sailor Garðar Svavarsson also accidentally drifted to the coast of Iceland. He discovered that the country

3200-449: The RVB. Hengill is the only active central volcano in the far east of the RVB, and this is likely to be because here a triple junction exists, resulting in a volcano with some rhyolytic and dacite components due to the complexity of its rift propagation formation. The island of Eldey off the south-west of the RVB has similar geological formations to the RVB but has a basalt composition with tholeiites and picrites . Hofsjökull ,

3280-477: The coastal and island areas of Ireland and/or Scotland and to Norway. The traditional explanation for the exodus from Norway is that people were fleeing the harsh rule of the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair , whom medieval literary sources credit with the unification of some parts of modern Norway during this period. Viking incursions into Britain were also expelled thoroughly during this time, potentially leading to

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3360-512: The course of the 13th century. After decades of internal conflict, the Icelandic chieftains agreed to accept the sovereignty of Norway and signed the Old Covenant ( Gamli sáttmáli ) establishing a union with the Norwegian monarchy. The end of the Icelandic Commonwealth is typically dated to the signing of the Old Covenant (1262–1264) or to the adoption of Jónsbók in 1281. The period also saw

3440-454: The economy. Iceland remained under Norwegian kingship until 1380, when the death of Olaf II of Denmark extinguished the Norwegian male royal line. Norway (and thus Iceland) then became part of the Kalmar Union , along with Sweden and Denmark , with Denmark as the dominant power. Unlike Norway, Denmark did not need Iceland's fish and homespun wool. This created a dramatic deficit in Iceland's trade. The small Greenland colony , established in

3520-451: The eruption resulted in the destruction of homes and property on the island. The eruption under Eyjafjallajökull in April 2010 caused extreme disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe over a period of six days in April 2010. About 20 countries closed their airspace to commercial jet traffic and it affected approximately 10 million travellers. The eruption had a VEI of 4,

3600-562: The eruption started on August 17, 2014, and lasted for 180 days. The 2014-2015 eruption was Iceland's largest in 230 years. Following a major earthquake swarm, multiple lava fountain eruptions began in Holuhraun . The lava flow rate was between 250 and 350 m /s (8,800 and 12,400 cu ft/s) and came from a dyke over 40 km (25 mi) long. An ice-filled subsidence bowl over 100 km (39 sq mi) in area and up to 65 m (213 ft) deep formed as well. There

3680-401: The eruptions become more explosive and these phreatomagmatic eruptions produce tephra and possibly maars and tuff rings or cones . The composition of the lava reflects the tectonic factors above and are consistent with the influence of the hotspot so the trend is for ocean island basalts (OIB) type to predominate over mid ocean ridge basalts (MORB) which are only found in the north of

3760-546: The form of a stratovolcano , sometimes of a shield volcano with a magma chamber underneath). Several classifications of the systems exist, for example there is one of 30 systems, and one of 34 systems, with the later currently being used in Iceland itself. There are 23 central volcanoes using the definition that they: erupt frequently; extrude either basaltic , intermediate or felsic lavas; have an associated shallow crustal magma chamber, and are often associated with collapse caldera or fissure systems. Shield volcanoes, as

3840-564: The information on Ingólfur comes from the Landnámabók , written some three centuries after the settlement. Archeological findings in Reykjavík are consistent with the date given there: there was a settlement in Reykjavík around 870. According to Landnámabók, Ingólfur was followed by many more Norse chieftains, their families and slaves who settled all the habitable areas of the island in the next decades. Archeological evidence strongly suggests that

3920-623: The interaction of combination of the spreading activity of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which is spreading in a general east and west direction while the mantle plume activity that results in the hotspot, has been migrating over at least the last 25 million years in a west to slightly south-east direction. Fissure vents are found predominantly in what are termed fissure swarms (a combination of tectonic related fissures and faults) that are also associated with crater rows and smaller cinder or spatter cones . Where such eruptions interact with water

4000-714: The island until the end of the war, with the United States taking over occupation duties from the British in 1941. In 1944, Iceland severed its remaining ties with Denmark (then still under Nazi occupation) and declared itself a republic. Following the Second World War, Iceland was a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and joined the United Nations one year after its establishment. Its economy grew rapidly largely through fishing, although this

4080-608: The largest known from Eyjafjallajökull. Several previous eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull have been followed soon afterwards by eruptions of the larger volcano Katla , but after the 2010 eruption, no activity occurred at Katla. The eruption in May 2011 at Grímsvötn under the Vatnajökull glacier sent thousands of tonnes of ash into the sky in a few days, raising concerns of the potential for travel chaos across northern Europe although only about 900 flights were initially disrupted. Bárðarbunga

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4160-582: The late 10th century, died out completely before 1500. With the introduction of absolute monarchy in Denmark–Norway in 1660 under Frederick III of Denmark , the Icelanders relinquished their autonomy to the crown, including the right to initiate and consent to legislation. Denmark, however, did not provide much protection to Iceland, which was raided in 1627 by a Barbary pirate fleet that abducted almost 300 Icelanders into slavery , in an episode known as

4240-470: The livestock. The ensuing starvation killed a quarter of Iceland's population. This period is known as the Móðuharðindin or " Mist Hardships ". In 1809 Danish adventurer Jørgen Jørgensen arrived in Iceland, declared the country independent from Denmark–Norway and pronounced himself its ruler. However, with the arrival of HMS Talbot two months later, Danish rule in Iceland was restored and Jørgensen

4320-458: The mid-17th century. By the middle of the 16th century, Christian III of Denmark began to impose Lutheranism on his subjects. Jón Arason and Ögmundur Pálsson , the Catholic bishops of Skálholt and Hólar respectively, opposed Christian's efforts at promoting the Protestant Reformation in Iceland. Ögmundur was deported by Danish officials in 1541, but Jón Arason put up a fight. Opposition to

4400-513: The modelling of the processes involved is incomplete and almost certainly involves primarily fractional crystallization of primary basaltic magma with limited input from pre-existing crustal material as is the case in arc volcanism. The ÖVB is represented by the Öræfajökull (Hnappafellsjökull) stratovolcano which has a history of violent rhyolite to alkali basalt eruptions with tephra volumes up to 10 km (2.4 cu mi) and accompanying jökulhlaup . The island Vestmannaeyjar volcano to

4480-599: The monks left behind Irish books, bells, and crosiers, among other things. According to the same account, the Irish monks abandoned the country when the Norse arrived or had left prior to their arrival. The twelfth-century scholar Ari Þorgilsson 's Íslendingabók reasserts that items including bells corresponding to those used by Irish monks were found by the settlers. No such artifacts have been discovered by archaeologists, however. Some Icelanders claimed descent from Cerball mac Dúnlainge , King of Osraige in southeastern Ireland, at

4560-447: The most significant contributions to recent eruptive volumes on Earth. Since the last ice age 91% of the magma erupted in Iceland has been mafic , 6% intermediate in composition and 3% silicic . The number of eruptions estimated in this 11,700 odd year period can only be an approxiamate figure, but about three to four explosive ones occur for every purely effusive one. Hekla has erupted more than 20 times in recorded history. It

4640-479: The prominence of English traders and fishing fleets. What drew foreigners to Iceland was primarily fishing in the fruitful waters off the coast of Iceland. The Icelandic trade was important to some British ports; for example, in Hull, the Icelandic trade accounted for more than ten percent of Hull's total trade. The trade has been credited with raising Icelandic living standards. The 16th century has been referred to as

4720-510: The reformation ended in 1550 when Jón Arason was captured after being defeated in the Battle of Sauðafell by loyalist forces under the leadership of Daði Guðmundsson . Jón Arason and his two sons were subsequently beheaded in Skálholt. Following this, the Icelanders became Lutherans and remain largely so to this day. In 1602, Iceland was forbidden to trade with countries other than Denmark, by order of

4800-483: The ruling chiefs established an assembly called the Alþingi ( Althing ). The parliament convened each summer at Þingvellir , where chieftains ( Goðorðsmenn or Goðar) amended laws, settled disputes and appointed juries to judge lawsuits. Laws were not written down but were instead memorized by an elected Lawspeaker ( lǫgsǫgumaðr ). The Alþingi is sometimes said to be the world's oldest existing parliament. Importantly, there

4880-591: The same ridge) about 8 million years, and Hawaii less than a million years. The younger rock strata in the southwest of Iceland and the central highlands are only about 700,000 years old. The Geological history of the Earth is divided into ice ages , based on temperature and climate. The last glacial period , commonly referred to as The Ice Age is thought to have begun about 110,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago. While covered in ice, Iceland's icefalls , fjords and valleys were formed. Iceland remained, for

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4960-739: The settlers' exploits. The settlers of Iceland were predominantly pagans and worshiped the Norse gods , among them Odin , Thor , Freyr , and Freyja . By the tenth century, political pressure from Europe to convert to Christianity mounted. As the end of the first millennium grew near, many prominent Icelanders had accepted the new faith. Around 961, Eldgjá , a volcano in Southern Iceland, erupted 7.7 square miles of lava and lifted up huge clouds of sulfuric gas that affected all of Northern Europe and spanned out as far as Northern China. It also created rare hazes and multiple food crises in different parts of

5040-532: The south east of Iceland has in its recent activity formed the island of Surtsey and cones such as Eldfell on Heimaey . It is the southern tip of the EVZ propagating rift in what is an off rift region called the South Iceland Volcanic Zone (SIVZ), and the older alkaline basalts were alkali olivine and more recent mugearite in composition. The basalts of the southern EVZ on land are rarely silicic but

5120-577: The term is used in the Iceland context, tend to erupt only once, so have monogenetic characteristics. However many shield volcanoes outside Iceland are associated with oceanic island volcanism such as in Hawaii where they have been built up over many eruptions. Fissure vents in Iceland tend to produce calmer effusive eruptions, but can be associated with large volumes of lava ( flood basalt events) and some have had prolonged eruptions with numerous eruptive episodes, lasting for years. Up to 2008, thirteen of

5200-439: The time of the Landnámabók ' s creation. Another source mentioning the Papar is Íslendingabók , dating from between 1122 and 1133. According to this account, the previous inhabitants, a few Irish monks known as the Papar, left the island since they did not want to live with pagan Norsemen. One theory suggests that those monks were members of a Hiberno-Scottish mission , Irish and Scottish monks who spread Christianity during

5280-470: The timing is roughly accurate; "that the whole country was occupied within a couple of decades towards the end of the 9th century." These people were primarily of Norwegian, Irish, and Scottish origin. Some of the Irish and Scots were slaves and servants of the Norse chiefs, according to the sagas of Icelanders , the Landnámabók , and other documents. Some settlers coming from the British Isles were " Hiberno-Norse ," with cultural and family connections both to

5360-509: The volcanic systems had hosted eruptions since the settlement of Iceland in AD 874. Nearly thirty volcanoes are known to have erupted in the Holocene epoch and so are active. Of these active volcanic systems, the most active is Grímsvötn . Over the past 500 years, Iceland's volcanoes have produced a third of the total global lava output. Current productivity, which is known to be cyclical, has been estimated to be between 0.05–0.08 km (0.012–0.019 cu mi) per year which

5440-519: The volcanoes can have explosive phreatomagmatic eruptions. Overall the surface area of post glacial erupted rocks of Iceland is 92% basalt, 4% basaltic andesites , 1% andesites , and 3% dacite-rhyolites. See also : List of volcanic eruptions in Iceland Due to incomplete surveys, which also need to be confined to subaerial eruptions and not include igneous intrusions , the accumulative amounts of dense-rock equivalent erupted in Iceland will be underestimated. The amounts known are some of

5520-413: The world, including that year and many years that followed. Early Norse settlers in Iceland followed Paganism, however, after the Eldgjá volcano eruption, many thought of it as an act from God and started to convert to Christianity instead with the help of Alþingi. It is also believed they converted to Christianity to maintain peace with their European neighbors and the Catholic church. In the year 1000, as

5600-418: Was aggravated by severe natural disasters like the Móðuharðindin or "Mist Hardships". During this time, the population declined. Iceland remained part of Denmark, but in keeping with the rise of nationalism around Europe in the nineteenth century, an independence movement emerged. The Althing, which had been suspended in 1799, was restored in 1844, and Iceland gained sovereignty after World War I , becoming

5680-580: Was an island and called it Garðarshólmi "Garðar's Islet" and stayed for the winter at Húsavík . The first Norseman who deliberately sailed to Iceland was Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson . Flóki settled for one winter at Barðaströnd . After the cold winter passed, the summer came and the whole island became green, which stunned Flóki. Realizing that this place was in fact habitable, despite the horribly cold winter, and full of useful resources, Flóki restocked his boat. He then returned east to Norway with resources and knowledge. The first permanent settler in Iceland

5760-619: Was arrested. When the two kingdoms of Denmark and Norway were separated by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814 following the Napoleonic Wars , Denmark kept Iceland, as well as Faroe and Greenland , as dependencies. Throughout the 19th century, the country's climate continued to grow worse, resulting in mass emigration to the New World , particularly Manitoba in Canada. However, a new national consciousness

5840-463: Was known to medieval Europeans as the Gate of Hell; that reputation persisted into the 19th century. The most deadly volcanic eruption of Iceland's history was the so-called Skaftáreldar (fires of Skaftá ) in 1783-1784. The eruption was in the crater row Lakagígar (craters of Laki) southwest of Vatnajökull glacier. The craters are a part of a larger volcanic system with the subglacial Grímsvötn as

5920-507: Was marred by disputes with other nations. Vigdis Finnbogadottir assumed Iceland's presidency on August 1, 1980, the first elected female head of state in the world. Following rapid financial growth, the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis occurred. Iceland continues to remain outside the European Union . Iceland is very remote, and so has been spared the ravages of European wars but has been affected by other external events, such as

6000-469: Was no central executive power, and therefore laws were enforced by the chieftains. This gave rise to feuds , which provided the writers of the sagas with plenty of material. Iceland enjoyed a mostly uninterrupted period of growth in its commonwealth years. Settlements from that era have been found in southwest Greenland and eastern Canada, and sagas such as Saga of Erik the Red and Greenland saga speak of

6080-512: Was revived in Iceland, inspired by romantic nationalist ideas from continental Europe . This revival was spearheaded by the Fjölnismenn , a group of Danish-educated Icelandic intellectuals. An independence movement developed under the leadership of a lawyer named Jón Sigurðsson . In 1843, a new Althing was founded as a consultative assembly. It claimed continuity with the Althing of the Icelandic Commonwealth, which had remained for centuries as

6160-456: Was settled quickly, mainly by Norsemen who may have been fleeing conflict or seeking new land to farm. By 930, the chieftains had established a form of governance, the Althing , making it one of the world's oldest parliaments. Towards the end of the tenth century, Christianity came to Iceland through the influence of the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason . During this time, Iceland remained independent,

6240-502: Was slow, and the Althing intended to hold onto its legislative and judicial power. Nonetheless, the Christian clergy had unique opportunities to accumulate wealth via the tithe , and power gradually shifted to ecclesiastical authorities as Iceland's two bishops in Skálholt and Hólar acquired land at the expense of the old chieftains. Around the time Iceland became a vassal state of Norway,

6320-406: Was the largest volcanic eruption in Iceland 's recorded history. Today, many of the fissures from the 1477 eruption are filled with water lakes that have become popular for trout fishing. This Iceland location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Volcanic systems of Iceland Iceland experiences frequent volcanic activity, due to its location both on

6400-497: Was very limited ash output from this eruption. The primary concern with this eruption was the large plumes of sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) in the atmosphere which adversely affected breathing conditions across Iceland, depending on wind direction. The volcanic cloud was also transported toward Western Europe in September 2014. Following a three-week period of increased seismic activity, an eruption fissure developed near Fagradalsfjall ,

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