An eight month fissure eruption of Laki, or Lakagigar, and the adjoining Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland, from June 1783 to February 1784, that released about 14 cubic kilometers of basalt lava together with poisonous hydrofluoric acid and sulfur dioxide. The contamination killed over half of Iceland's livestock and destroyed most crops, and the resulting famine and the sulfurous haze that spread over Europe make it among the most consequential eruptions in recorded history for its climatic and humanitarian impact. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Event DateStart date of an eruption that continued to 7 February 1784. Magnitude or ScaleVolcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) 4; erupted about 14 cubic kilometers of basalt lava 1 LocationLaki (Lakagigar) fissure, Iceland 1 Disputed
Death TollAt least a fifth, by some estimates a quarter, of Iceland's population died in the resulting famine; an estimated 23,000 further deaths are linked to the sulfurous haze over Britain 1 Connections
Caused By
Read from this phenomenon's own Wikipedia article (Laki); earth5 pass cause judgment: Volcanism.
Source Laki (Wikipedia)
In Discipline
The sulfurous haze that spread over Europe and the resulting famine are studied as a climate event.
Source Laki (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Laki (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1Quote, Lead sentence 1
Laki (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈlaːcɪ] ) or Lakagígar ([ˈlaːkaˌciːɣar̥], Craters of Laki) is a volcanic fissure in the western part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland, not far from the volcanic fissure of Eldgjá and the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur.
Sources
1. Laki (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
It poured out an estimated 42 billion tonnes or 14 km3 (18×10^9 cu yd) of basalt lava, as well as clouds of poisonous hydrofluoric acid and sulfur dioxide compounds that contaminated the soil, leading to the death of over 50% of Iceland's livestock population and the destruction of the vast majority of all crops.
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