1629 Eruption of Grimsvotn

Name: 1629 Eruption of Grimsvotn
Start: 1629
Location: Grimsvotn, Iceland

1629 · VEI 2 · 4 deaths

Grimsvotn in Iceland erupted in 1629 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption killed 4 people.

Where it erupted

Grimsvotn, Iceland, with its other significant eruptions.

Open the live map with volcanic ash advisories and webcams

The eruption

Date: 1629
Volcano: Grimsvotn, caldera
Country: Iceland
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by: Floods (and glacial outburst floods)
Location: 64.416° N, 17.316° W

The toll

Deaths: 4

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.

Jokulhlaup killed a couple with children.

Other significant eruptions of Grimsvotn

Every eruption in 1629 The 1600s Grimsvotn Earthquakes near Grimsvotn

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 4511.