November 2, 1947 Eruption of Hekla

Name: November 2, 1947 Eruption of Hekla
Start: 1947-11-02
Location: Hekla, Iceland

November 2, 1947 · VEI 4 · 1 death

Hekla in Iceland erupted on November 2, 1947 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. The eruption killed 1 person.

Where it erupted

Hekla, Iceland, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: November 2, 1947
Volcano: Hekla, stratovolcano
Country: Iceland
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Killed by: Lava flows
Location: 63.983° N, 19.666° W

The toll

Deaths: 1

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.

A scientist filming the eruption was killed by a glowing block which rolled off the front of a lava flow, killing him instantly.

Other significant eruptions of Hekla

Every eruption in 1947 The 1900s Hekla Earthquakes near Hekla 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 4510.