ITS HISTORY AND INHABITANTS. 109 



coLiditioii. Tlie one runs from soutli-west to north-east and 

 contains the craters of Reykjanes, the Hekla and other 

 volcanoes of Southern Iceland. The second line runs from 

 south to north and contains the Myvatn and VatnajokuU 

 volcanoes. Hot springs and sulphur mines occupy the same 

 lines, Avhicli are also taken by mountain ranges and sub- 

 marine reefs. Earthquakes run in the same directions. 



Eruptions are not so frequent as in the south of Europe. 

 Hekla breaks out at intervals of seventy to eighty years, 

 other volcanoes even less frequently. 



Hekla, "The Cloak" (from its shape), tlie most famous of 

 Icelandic volcanoes, is thirty-two miles inland from the 

 !iearest point of the coast, and situated Avest of Torfajr>kull. 

 Its height is 5,108 feet. It is a longitudinally shaped 

 mountain running south-west to north-east, piled up of lava 

 blocks, pumice and ashes, with snow-filled craters standing 

 in a row on top ; it is an intermediate form between Vesuvius 

 and a crater chain. Parallel with it run other mountain 

 ridges of palagonite, breccia and tufa (1,000 feet to 1,500 

 feet) studded Avitli craters. The Norwegian mineralogist, 

 A. Helland, counted fourteen craters in a direct line near 

 Hekla north-east to south-west, each Avith a laA'a stream of 

 its own. Vast fields of laA'^a extend round Hekla in cA'-ery 

 direction. 



Of Hekla's eruptions eighteen are historically knoAvn, 

 without reckoning three or four eruptions from craters in its 

 neighbourhood. 



The first knoAvn eruption of Hekla took place in 1104, the 

 last in I'STo. One of the most Adolent Avas the sixth eruption, 

 July loth, A.D. 1300. " The mountain Avas riven asunder 

 IcngtliAvays, and out of this yaAvning chasm rushed forth 

 columns of fire and streams of laA'-a Avhicli ran nearly to the 

 coast, 32 miles aAvay, leaving here and there in the liolloAvs 

 on its course lakes of liquid fire. The crater vomited red- 

 I'.ot \-A\ix blocks to an. unprecedented height. They cooled 

 suddenly in the air and burst asunder Avith a thundering 

 crash. ... A strong south-easter carried the huge clouds 

 of sand and ashes as far as 180 miles from the volcano so that 

 they lay thick on the ground all that distance. The 

 eruption lasted on unbroken for nearly a year. On 

 December 28th, such masses of sand and ashes Avcre 

 throAvn up that, at a distance of 225 miles, high hills and 

 doAvns Avere formed by them and a A'iolent earthquake laid 

 u'aste the part of the district spared by the earlier eruption.*' 



