Katla (volcano)

Katla (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈkʰahtla] ^ⓘ) is an active volcano in southern Iceland. This volcano has been very active historically with at least twenty documented major eruptions since 2920 BC. In its recent history though, Katla has been less active as the last major eruption occurred in 1918. These eruptions have had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of between 4 and 5 on a scale of 0 to 8. In comparison, the Eyjafjallajökull 2010 eruption had a VEI of 4. Larger VEI-5 eruptions are comparable to Mount St. Helens 1980 eruption. Several smaller (minor) eruptions measuring VEI-1 and below have occurred since, with the most recent being in 1999.

Katla is one of the largest volcanic sources of carbon dioxide (CO₂) on Earth, accounting for up to 4% of total global volcanic carbon dioxide emissions.