The Skaftáreldar, or Laki Fissure Eruption

Jul 17, 2024

Learn about the catastrophic Laki Fissure Eruption in Iceland in 1783, its global impact on climate, devastation on society, and link to Nile famine. Explore the mysterious haze that covered Europe, impacting weather patterns and inspiring literary works like Frankenstein and Dracula.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

The Icelandic 18th Century: Society, Economy, and Natural Disasters

02:07 • 13min

The Enormity of the Laki Eruption and Sponsor Messages

14:42 • 3min

Exploring the Skaftáreldar, or Laki Fissures

17:49 • 2min

Impact of the 1783 Eruption in Iceland

19:21 • 10min

The Aftermath of the Laki Volcano Eruption

29:46 • 7min

Exploring the Mysterious Haze of the 18th Century

36:30 • 11min

Closure of a Museum, Virtual Visits, and Personal Stories

47:57 • 7min

The Laki Fissure Eruption was a volcanic event in Iceland in 1783 lasted for months, leading to the deaths of thousands of people and affecting the climate in a lot of the world.

Research:

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Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Laki". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Oct. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/place/Laki. Accessed 2 July 2024.
Casey, Joan A. et al. “Sun smoke in Sweden: Perinatal implications of the Laki volcanic eruptions, 1783–1784.” Epidemiology. 2019 May ; 30(3): 330–333. doi:10.1097/EDE.0000000000000977.
Grattan, John and Mark Brayshay. “An Amazing and Portentous Summer: Environmental and Social Responses in Britain to the 1783 Eruption of an Iceland Volcano.” The Geographical Journal , Jul., 1995, Vol. 161, No. 2 (Jul., 1995). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3059970
Grattan, John et al. “Modelling the distal impacts of past volcanic gas emissions. Evidence of Europe-wide environmental impacts from gases emitted during the eruption of Italian and Icelandic volcanoes in 1783.” Quaternaire Année 1998 9-1 25-35. https://www.persee.fr/doc/quate_1142-2904_1998_num_9_1_2103
Gunnarsdóttir, Margrét. “Facing natural extremes: The catastrophe of the Laki eruption in Iceland, 1783–84.” 1700-tal: Nordic Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 19 (2022). 72–93. https://doi.org/10.7557/4.6611
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Jackson, E.L. “The Laki Eruption of 1783: impacts on population and settlement in Iceland.” Geography , January 1982, Vol. 67, No. 1 (January 1982). https://www.jstor.org/stable/40570468
Karlsson, Gunnar; Kristinsson, Valdimar and Matthíasson, Björn. "Iceland". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Jul. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/place/Iceland. Accessed 3 July 2024.
Kleeman, Katrin. “A Mist Connection: An Environmental History of the Laki Eruption of 1783 and Its Legacy.” Historical Catastrophe Studies. Walter de Gruyter GmbH. 2023.
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Kleemann, Katrin. “The Laki Fissure eruption, 1783-1784.” Encyclopedia of the Environment. 1/14/2020. https://www.encyclopedie-environnement.org/en/society/laki-fissure-eruption-1783-1784/
Klemetti, Erik. “Local and Global Impacts of the 1783-84 Laki Eruption in Iceland.” Wired. 6/7/2013. https://www.wired.com/2013/06/local-and-global-impacts-1793-laki-eruption-iceland/
Najork, Daniel. “Jón versus the Volcano: Reading an Eighteenth-Century Icelandic Priest’s Account of a Moment of Crisis in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Medievalist.com. https://www.medievalist.com/articles/strongjn-versus-the-volcano-an-eighteenth-century-icelandic-priests-account-of-a-moment-of-crisisstrong
National Science Foundation. “Tree rings and Iceland's Laki volcano eruption: A closer look at climate.” 2/3/2021. https://new.nsf.gov/news/tree-rings-icelands-laki-volcano-eruption-closer
Oman, Luke. “High-latitude eruptions cast shadow over the African monsoon and the flow of the Nile.” Geophysical Research Letters. 9/30/2006. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027665
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The Economist. “The summer of acid rain.” 12/19/2007. https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2007/12/19/the-summer-of-acid-rain
White, Gilbert. “The Natural History of Selborne.” January 1st, 1788. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1408/pg1408-images.html
Wieners, Claudia E. “Haze, Hunger, Hesitation: Disaster aid after the 1783 Laki eruption.” Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. Volume 406, 15 November 2020. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377027319305220
Witze, Alexandra. “Island on Fire: Societal Lessons From Iceland's Volcanoes.” Natural Hazards Observer Volume XL - Number 1 Island on Fire. 9/28/2015. https://hazards.colorado.edu/article/island-on-fire-societal-lessons-from-iceland-s-volcanoes

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