Eldhraun

Eldhraun is the lava that came out of the Laki fissure in 1783 and 1784, one of the largest effusive eruptions in recorded history, covering something around 565 square kilometres of the south. The lava itself was only part of it: the eruption released enormous quantities of gas, which poisoned grazing, killed most of the livestock and brought the famine Icelanders call the mist hardships, in which roughly a fifth of the population died. The haze and the following cold were recorded across Europe. Today the field is under a thick grey-green coat of woolly fringe moss, and the ring road runs straight through it for kilometres.

Highlights

• Lava from 1783 to 1784 - about 565 square kilometres of it.
• The famine that followed - gas, dead livestock and roughly a fifth of the population lost.
• Effects recorded abroad - the haze and cold noted across Europe.
• A thick moss coat - grey-green over the whole field.

When to go

May to September for the moss at its best; the road crosses it all year. An hour.

Practical notes

The moss is extremely fragile - a footprint stays visible for years and walking on it is prohibited, which is why the marked stops matter. From the car it reads as endless grey-green bumps. There are only a few laybys with information boards.

Nearby

Kirkjubaejarklaustur and Kirkjugolf are east; Laki lies inland on a highland track.

Key facts