May 1861 Eruption of Grimsvotn

Name: May 1861 Eruption of Grimsvotn
Start: 1861-05
Location: Grimsvotn, Iceland

May 1861 · VEI 2

Grimsvotn in Iceland erupted in May 1861 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.

Where it erupted

Grimsvotn, Iceland, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: May 1861
Volcano: Grimsvotn, caldera
Country: Iceland
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Location: 64.416° N, 17.316° 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.

Damage to land and property.

Other significant eruptions of Grimsvotn

Every eruption in 1861 The 1800s 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 4283.