Hekla
Active Icelandic stratovolcano, once called the Gateway to Hell.
Hekla (pronounced [ˈhɛhkla]), also known as Hecla, is an active stratovolcano in southern Iceland, standing 1,491 meters (4,892 feet) tall. It ranks among Iceland’s most active volcanoes, with more than 20 eruptions recorded in and around it since 1104. In the Middle Ages, the Icelandic Norse called it the “Gateway to Hell,” a notion that spread widely across Europe.
The volcano’s frequent, large, and often explosive eruptions have blanketed much of Iceland with tephra. These layers help date eruptions of other Icelandic volcanoes. Over the last thousand years, Hekla has produced about 10% of Iceland’s tephra—roughly 5 cubic kilometers (1.2 cubic miles). In the same period, it has generated one of the world’s largest lava volumes, around 8 cubic kilometers (1.9 cubic miles).
The Icelandic word *hekla* means a short hooded cloak, possibly referring to the frequent cloud cover on the summit. An early Latin source calls the mountain *Mons Casule*.
After the 1104 eruption, stories—likely spread deliberately by Cistercian monks—claimed Hekla was the gateway to Hell. The Cistercian monk Herbert of Clairvaux wrote in his *De Miraculis* (without naming Hekla) that the famous fiery cauldron of Sicily, called Hell’s chimney, was like a small furnace compared to this enormous inferno. Around 1120, the monk Benedeit wrote a poem about Saint Brendan’s voyages, mentioning Hekla as the prison of Judas. The Flatey Book Annal records that during the 1341 eruption, people saw large and small birds flying in the mountain’s fire, taken to be souls. In the 16th century, Caspar Peucer wrote that the Gates of Hell could be found in “the bottomless abyss of Hekla Fell.” This belief persisted into the 19th century, and a legend still holds that witches gather on Hekla during Easter.
Geographically, Hekla is part of a volcanic ridge 40 kilometers (25 miles) long. The most active section is a fissure about 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) long called Heklugjá, considered part of Hekla proper. The volcano resembles an overturned boat, with its keel formed by a series of craters, two of which are usually the most active.
Geologically, Hekla has a morphology between that of a fissure vent and a stratovolcano, built from mixed lava and tephra eruptions. It sits at a rift-transform junction where the south Iceland seismic zone and eastern volcanic zone meet. This unusual form is found on ve
- type
- Stratovolcano
- height
- 1,491 m (4,892 ft)
- location
- South of Iceland
- first_recorded_eruption
- 1104
- known_for
- Gateway to Hell; one of Iceland's most active volcanoes; produced one of the largest volumes of lava in the last millennium
Quick Facts
- Elevation M
- 1488
- Translation
- Hooded
- Language
- Icelandic
- Location
- Iceland
- Map Size
- 200
- Last Eruption
- February to March 2000
- First Ascent
- Eggert Ólafsson, Bjarni Pálsson, 20 June 1750
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Hekla is part of a volcanic ridge 40 km long, with its most active fissure, Heklugjá, stretching about 5.5 km. Its morphology is between that of a fissure vent and a stratovolcano, a form found on very few volcanoes worldwide, notably Callaqui in Chile. The volcano's frequent large and often initially explosive eruptions have covered much of Iceland with tephra, and these layers are used to date eruptions of other Icelandic volcanoes. Approximately 10% of the tephra created in Iceland in the last thousand years has come from Hekla, amounting to 5 km³. Cumulatively, it has produced around 8 km³ of lava in the last millennium.
Reader's Guide
Hekla's significance extends beyond its geological activity into European cultural history. After the eruption of 1104, Cistercian monks deliberately spread stories that Hekla was the gateway to Hell. The monk Herbert of Clairvaux wrote that the Sicilian volcano was 'like a small furnace compared to this enormous inferno.' A poem from about 1120 mentions Hekla as the prison of Judas. During the 1341 eruption, people reported seeing birds in the fire that were taken to be souls. The belief that Hekla was the gate to Hell persisted until the 19th century, and legends of witches gathering there during Easter remain. Geologically, Hekla is closely studied for strain, tilt, deformation, and seismic activity. It is unusually aseismic when dormant, with activity starting only 30–80 minutes before an eruption. Its tephra is high in fluorine, poisonous to animals, and its basaltic andesite lava has a SiO₂ content over 54%, unique among Icelandic volcanoes for producing calc-alkaline lavas. The volcano's eruptions are varied and difficult to predict, with precursor seismic activity sometimes lasting only hours.
Did You Know?
- Hekla is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, with over 20 eruptions since 1210.
- During the Middle Ages, it was called the 'Gateway to Hell' by the Icelandic Norse, a belief that spread across Europe.
- Approximately 10% of all tephra created in Iceland in the last thousand years has come from Hekla.
- The volcano is unusually aseismic, with seismic activity starting only 30–80 minutes before an eruption.
More in Volcanoes 1-22
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record