THE 



GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES. DECADE II. VOL. II. 



No. VII.— JULY, 1875. 



OI^ia-IZsTJLXi ARTICLES. 



I. — Notes on the Volcanic Eruptions in Iceland. 

 By G. Poxilett Scrope, F.R.S., F.G.S., etc., etc. 



ICELAND — that land of Frost and Fire, an island which, though as 

 large as Ireland, is, apparently, but a crust of hardened lava over 

 a seething cauldron of the same substance, bearing on its frozen sur- 

 face eternal snows and glaciers — has been this year in extraordinary 

 commotion, socially and politically, as well as physically. It has 

 celebrated the millenary of its colonization, and for the first time in this 

 long period received a visit from its sovereign ; while it has been so 

 devastated of late by frequent fiery eruptions, the ashes from which 

 destroy its pasturage — the only resource of the islanders — as to have 

 driven them, it is said, to the desperate resolve to emigrate en masse, 

 and leave their native land for a safei*, at least, if not a more genial 

 residence, in the far Noi'th-West of the American Continent. 



Within the last month intelligence has arrived of eruptions of a 

 more than ordinary violence having occurred in the high snowy dis- 

 trict to the north of Vatnajokull. 



The following extract from the Scotsman, under date of May 21st, 

 is " from an occasional correspondent " of that paper : 



"The volcanic disturbances in the north of Iceland (mentioned in the Scotsman in 

 April) still continued when the last mail from that part of the island reached 

 Reykjavik. There seems to be a line of volcanic activity all the way from Vatna- 

 jokull to Skjalfandafloi, a distance of about 100 miles. Volcanic outbursts on this 

 line have been frequent during the last four years. They have, however, been con- 

 fined to the south end of the line in Vatnajbkull till the present year. During the 

 first three months of this year the volcanic outbursts have continually been moving 

 northwards, but always continuing in the same line. They are just now traversing 

 the sandy deserts lying between the inhabited district Mijvatns sveit on the west and 

 the river Jokulsa on the east. 



On the 12th of March, the spot where one of these outbursts occurred was visited 

 by some of the inhabitants of Mijvatns sveit. This spot is close to the outburst 

 mentioned in the Scotsman, just about a mile further to the north. There were 

 fifteen different craters close to each other, and during forty-eight hours they had 

 thrown up a wall, or ridge, of lava about sixty feet high, and further covered the 

 ground round about them with heaps of lava, thus forming a lava tract about five 

 miles long, and half a mile broad. 



Another visit was made to the volcanic line on the 4th of April. The locality 

 visited on this occasion was south-east of a hill called Burfell, and a short distance 

 west of the river Jokulsa. Here three large craters were found, and on the west 

 side of them a large, rift had been formed and the ground sunk about 18 feet. The 

 craters were here, as at the other place, in a straight line from north to south, the 

 northernmost being the largest. This crater had an oblong form. Its mouth, or 

 the opening from which the fire issued, reached the enormous length of 600 yards. 



DECADE II. — VOL. II.— NO. VII. 19 



