May 11, 1721 Eruption of Katla

Name: May 11, 1721 Eruption of Katla
Start: 1721-05-11
Location: Katla, Iceland

May 11, 1721 · VEI 5

Katla in Iceland erupted on May 11, 1721 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5.

Where it erupted

Katla, Iceland, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: May 11, 1721
Volcano: Katla, subglacial volcano
Country: Iceland
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 5, very large (eruption column over 25 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.

Tephra Volume: 1.2 x 109m3, eruptive characteristics: subglacial eruption, explosive eruption, damage (land, property, etc.) (reference #2432)

Other significant eruptions of Katla

Every eruption in 1721 The 1700s Katla Earthquakes near Katla This day in weather history

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 4233.