Laki
- This page is about the volcanic Laki craters, for other meanings of the word "laki" see Laki (disambiguation).
The Laki craters (Icelandic: Lakagígar) are situated in the south of Iceland not far from the canyon of Eldgjá and the small town Kirkjubæjarklaustur; the highest peak reaching up to 816 m. The mountain range of small craters is covering an area of 25 km length.
The Big Eruption
This volcanic system, centering on the Katla volcano, was responsible for the biggest volcanic eruption on earth in historical times, in the form of a flood basalt. Between the glaciers of Mýrdalsjökull and Vatnajökull, there is an area of fissures which lies in a south-west to north-east direction. This area—including Eldgjá—produced the biggest amount of lava ever produced from one single area in the world during historical times. Between the 8th of June 1783 and February 1784, a fissure with 130 craters opened at Laki. The eruption produced some 14 km³ of lava, and the total volume of tephra emitted was 12.3 km3. Lava fountains, like those of Hawai‘i, were seen in distant towns. Additionally, vast clouds of gas and ash were released, reaching even mainland Europe. In Scotland the summer of 1783 was known as the sand-sommer, due to large volumes of ash fallout in Scotland. The gases were carried by the convective eruption column to altitudes of about 15 km. The aerosols built up caused a cooling effect in the Northern Hemisphere, possibly by as much as 1 degree Celsius.
Consequences
The consequences for the whole country were fatal. Cattle died because of poisoning, and the ensuing famine resulted in the death of 20% of the population in the following years.
The parish priest Jón Steingrimsson grew famous because of his so-called fire sermon. The whole community of the small town Kirkjubæjarklaustur was in church. At the same time the town was endangered by a lava stream. But while the people were in church, the lava stopped not far from town. "This past week, and the two prior to it, more poison fell from the sky than words can describe: ash, volcanic hairs, rain full of sulfur and salt peter, all of it mixed with sand. The snouts, nostrils, and feet of livestock grazing or walking on the grass turned bright yellow and raw. All water went tepid and light blue in color and gravel slides turned gray. All the earth's plants burned, withered and turned gray, one after the another, as the fire increased and neared the settlements." (Rev. Jón Steingrímsson, Fires of the Earth, The Laki Eruption (1783-1784)