Eldhraun Lava Field
Eldhraun, meaning Fire Lava, is the world's largest lava field produced by a single eruption, covering 565 square kilometres of South Iceland between Vík and Kirkjubæjarklaustur. It was created during the Laki eruption of 1783 to 1784, one of the most catastrophic volcanic events in recorded history. Today the entire field is covered in a continuous layer of woolly fringe moss that has taken centuries to grow, giving it one of the most otherworldly appearances of any landscape in Iceland.
The World's Largest Single-Eruption Lava Field, Now Covered in Centuries-Old Moss
The Laki eruption of 1783 to 1784, known in Icelandic as the Skaftáreldar or Skaftá River Fires, was one of the most destructive volcanic events in human history. The eruption lasted eight months, ejecting around 14 cubic kilometres of basalt lava and releasing enormous quantities of sulphur dioxide and fluorine gas that devastated Iceland's agriculture and livestock. It is estimated that around a quarter of Iceland's population died in the famine and disease that followed. The sulphur aerosols also drifted across Europe, causing the summer of 1783 to be unusually cold across the continent, contributing to crop failures and, some historians have argued, to the conditions that preceded the French Revolution. In the 1960s, NASA selected Iceland's lava fields, including Eldhraun, as training grounds for the Apollo astronauts because the volcanic terrain so closely resembled the surface of the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin trained here before the 1969 Moon landing.
What visitors encounter today is not the raw black lava of the eruption but the extraordinary landscape that has developed over the subsequent 240 years. Woolly fringe moss has colonised the entire field, creating an unbroken pale green carpet that drapes over every ridge and hollow of the lava surface. The moss is exceptionally fragile, taking decades to grow and unable to recover quickly from being walked on. Staying on designated paths and parking areas is mandatory; footsteps off the path can cause visible damage that lasts for many years. The contrast between the soft green surface and the hard, jagged lava visible through it creates an appearance unlike almost anywhere else on earth.
Eldhraun runs along the Ring Road between Vík and Kirkjubæjarklaustur in South Iceland, with marked pull-off areas and a main parking area with a short walking path into the field. Entry is free and the site is accessible year-round. The parking area is about 60 kilometres east of Vík and 25 kilometres west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, roughly a 3.5-hour drive from Reykjavik. The nearby Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon is about 6 kilometres east, and the Vatnajökull National Park visitor centre is a short drive further.
