1177 Eruption of Katla

Name: 1177 Eruption of Katla
Start: 1177
Location: Katla, Iceland

1177 · VEI 3

Katla in Iceland erupted in 1177 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3.

Where it erupted

Katla, Iceland, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: 1177
Volcano: Katla, subglacial volcano
Country: Iceland
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
Location: 63.633° N, 19.083° W

The toll

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1177 +2 years, tephra volume: 1 x 107m3, eruptive characteristics: subglacial eruption, explosive eruption, damage (land, property, etc.). (reference #2432)

Other significant eruptions of Katla

Every eruption in 1177 The 1100s Katla Earthquakes near Katla

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4224.