Fagradalsfjall is a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula, about 40 kilometres from Reykjavik. In 2021, an effusive eruption began on 19 March in the valley of Geldingadalir and continued until 18 September 2021, the first of three eruptions in the system over three summers.
What and where Fagradalsfjall is
Fagradalsfjall is on the Reykjanes peninsula, about 40 kilometres from Reykjavik. Geologically, it began as a tuya, a flat-topped volcano formed under ice during the last glacial period.
The 2021 eruption
On 19 March 2021, an effusive eruption began in the valley of Geldingadalir, feeding lava from a fissure. That eruption continued to release lava until 18 September 2021.
A long-dormant system awakens
The 2021 event was the first eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula in about 800 years. The Fagradalsfjall system itself had been dormant for roughly 6,000 years before that eruption. It proved to be the start of a run of activity: the system erupted again at Meradalir from 3 to 21 August 2022, and near Litli-Hrutur from 10 July to 5 August 2023, part of a wider reawakening of the Reykjanes peninsula.
An accessible eruption
The site lies within reach of Reykjavik. That made it one of Iceland's most accessible eruptions.
For live conditions, check safetravel.is.
Seeing Fagradalsfjall on Reykjanes
Fagradalsfjall is part of the Reykjanes peninsula landscape, and its location about 40 kilometres from Reykjavik puts it in the same broader area many visitors look at when comparing trips in this region. A guided Fagradalsfjall eruption-site hike visits the landscape left by the eruptions; for wider peninsula options, see Reykjanes tours.
Allow time for the road
Check the Driving Distance Calculator when deciding how Fagradalsfjall: Volcano on Reykjanes belongs in the rest of your itinerary.
