Fagradalsfjall is located on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest corner of the island 35 km (22 miles) from Reykjavik. Despite its proximity to the capital, it is located in an area of Iceland that is relatively uninhabited, though it is a common destination for visitors looking to explore the country’s unique landscape.
At 385 meters (1263 feet) high, Fagradalsfjall is the most imposing mountain in the area, which was known to early Icelanders for its outstanding beauty. The most prominent volcano in the area, it has reportedly lain dormant for more than 6,000 years, while the area last experienced volcanic activity around eight centuries ago.
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However, that all changed in March 2021, when the region experienced a battery of earthquakes and tremors that came in waves over a period of three weeks, alerting experts to the fact that Fagradalsfjall was likely to erupt. And on March 21 that year, it did, releasing lava onto the surface of the peninsula for the first time in 800 years in an eruption that lasted six months and transformed the landscape with newly formed black craters.
