The crater lake Ljótipollur (“Ugly Puddle”) in the central Highlands of Iceland was formed in an explosion in the 15th C along the Torfajökull Volcanic System. “The name in Icelandic has the contradictory meaning of “Ugly Pool” and could be explained by geothermal activity and murky water shortly after the eruption, of which there is…
The recent eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland and the resultant disruption of air traffic made international headlines. But few outside Iceland know that Eyjafjallajökull is a minor blip compared to the cataclysmic event that took place not long ago. In 1783, over 130 craters opened up near Laki in a violent emetic fury that had…
