Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Þeistareykir.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Þeistareykir.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Þeistareykir.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

373090

900 BCE

563 m / 1,847 ft

65.883°N
16.967°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Shield

Volcano Types
Shield
Fissure vent(s)

Rock Types

Major
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone
Oceanic crust (< 15 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

0
36
3,711
25,779

Geological Summary

The Holocene Theistareykir fissure system, including the basaltic Theistareykjarbunga shield volcano, extends from north of Myvatn lake to the coast of Iceland. This is the northernmost subaerial volcanic system along the Eastern Volcanic Zone of Iceland. The 30 km³ Theistareykjarbunga shield volcano formed slightly after deglaciation; the youngest dated eruption produced the Theistareykjahraun lava flow about 2,400 years ago.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Gudmundsson A T, 1986. Iceland-Fires. Reykjavik: Vaka-Helgafell, 168 p.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Johannesson H, Saemundsson K, 1998. Geological map of Iceland, 1:500,000. Tectonics. Icelandic Inst Nat Hist, Reykjavik.

Sigurdsson H, Sparks R S J, 1978. Rifting episode in North Iceland in 1874-1875 and the eruptions of Askja and Sveinagja. Bull Volcanol, 41: 149-167.

Slater L, McKenzie D, Gronvold K, Shimizu N, 2001. Melt generation and movement beneath Theistareykir, NE Iceland. J Petr, 42: 321-254.

Steinthorsson S, et al., 2002. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World - Iceland. Unpublished manuscript.

Stracke A, Zindler A, Salters V J M, McKenzie D, Gronvold K, 2003. The dynamics of melting beneath Theistareykir, northern Iceland. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 4. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GC000347

Thordarson T, Hoskuldsson A, 2008. Postglacial eruptions in Iceland. Jokull, 58: 197-228.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

0900 BCE ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 0

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Storihver (Theistareykjahraun)

0900 BCE ± 100 years - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Storihver (Theistareykjahraun)

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
	0900 BCE ± 100 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

6800 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 0

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Borgarhraun and other flows

6800 BCE (?) - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Borgarhraun and other flows

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
	6800 BCE (?)	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

9500 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 0

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Theistareykjabunga shield volcano

9500 BCE (?) - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Theistareykjabunga shield volcano

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Lava fountains
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Lava lake
9500 BCE (?)	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Storahversmor

Shield volcano

320 m

65° 53' 52.00" N

17° 1' 54.00" W

Theistareykjabunga

Shield volcano

563 m

65° 53' 43.00" N

16° 50' 32.00" W

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Bondholshraun

Fissure vent

415 m

65° 45' 49.00" N

16° 56' 39.00" W

Borgahraun

Fissure vent

398 m

65° 48' 16.00" N

17° 1' 25.00" W

Litlaviti

Pit crater

542 m

65° 52' 27.00" N

16° 50' 34.00" W

Storaviti

Crater

486 m

65° 52' 42.00" N

16° 50' 21.00" W

Theistareykjahraun

Fissure vent

280 m

65° 56' 15.00" N

17° 1' 30.00" W

Photo Gallery

Stóravíti crater, seen here from the SE, is 600 m across and 140 m deep. It is located in the summit area of the Holocene Theistareykjarbunga shield volcano, part of the northernmost subaerial volcanic system along the Eastern Volcanic Zone of Iceland. The youngest dated eruption in this system produced the Theistareykjahraun lava flow about 2,400 years ago.

Photo by Michael Ryan, 1984 (U.S. Geological Survey).

The small Litlavíti pit crater (left) lies immediately SSW of Stóravíti crater (right) near the summit of the Theistareykjarbunga shield volcano. The very low-angle volcano is part of Theistareykir, the northernmost subaerial volcanic system of Iceland's Eastern Volcanic Zone.

Photo by Michael Ryan, 1984 (U.S. Geological Survey).

An aerial view from the north shows features of the Theistareykjabunga and Krafla volcanic systems. The low-relief Theistareykjabunga volcano, with the Stora-Viti and Litla-Viti summit craters, appears at the lower left. The topographically indistinct Krafla caldera (center) is cut by prominent fissure swarms. The flat, mesa-like areas at the right and other topographically prominent features throughout the photo are table mountains and ridges formed during Pleistocene subglacial eruptions.

Photo by Oddur Sigurdsson, 1977 (Icelandic National Energy Authority).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Þeistareykir in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes (Link to Þeistareykir)

The Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes is an interactive, web-based tool, containing information on volcanic systems that belong to the active volcanic zones of Iceland. It is a collaboration of the Icelandic Meteorological Office (the state volcano observatory), the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, and the Civil Protection Department of the National Commissioner of the Iceland Police, with contributions from a large number of specialists in Iceland and elsewhere. This official publication is intended to serve as an accurate and up-to-date source of information about active volcanoes in Iceland and their characteristics. The Catalogue forms a part of an integrated volcanic risk assessment project in Iceland GOSVÁ (commenced in 2012), as well as being part of the effort of FUTUREVOLC (2012-2016) on establishing an Icelandic volcano supersite.

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Þeistareykir. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Þeistareykir. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Þeistareykir

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).