Katla

Katla, volcano, 4,961 ft (1,512 m) high, SW Iceland. One of Iceland's most active volcanoes, it is partly buried under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which covers its eruptive vents. Katla's most recent major eruption was in 1918, during which mudflows resulting from glacial melting extended the coast some 3 mi (5 km). There may have been a smaller eruption in 1955 that did not break through the glacier.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Scandinavian Physical Geography