October 17, 1755 Eruption of Katla

Name: October 17, 1755 Eruption of Katla
Start: 1755-10-17
Location: Katla, Iceland

October 17, 1755 · VEI 4 · 2 deaths

Katla in Iceland erupted on October 17, 1755 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. The eruption killed 2 people.

Where it erupted

Katla, Iceland, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: October 17, 1755
Volcano: Katla, subglacial volcano
Country: Iceland
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Killed by: Electrical (lightning)
Location: 63.633° N, 19.083° W

The toll

Deaths: 2

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.

2 killed by lightning during tephra fall.

Other significant eruptions of Katla

Every eruption in 1755 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 4234.