Hecla

Hecla, or HEKLA, a volcanic mountain in Iceland, stands isolated about 20 miles from the south-west coast and 68 miles E. from Reykjavik. Its snow-clad summit is 5102 feet high, and has five craters. The sides of the mountain are seamed by numerous deep ravines. The principal rocks are lava and tuff. 'Fantastic groups of hills, craters, and lava, leading the eye to distant snow-covered jökuls; the mist rising from a waterfall; lakes embosomed amid bare bleak mountains; an awful and profound slumber; lowering clouds; marks all around of the furious action of the most destructive of the elements, give to the region a character of desolation scarcely to be paralleled.' A record of the eruptions has been kept since the 9th century, during which time there have been eighteen outbreaks. These have generally been very violent, and have often continued for a considerable time. In September 1845 a terrific outbreak occurred and lasted for more than a year. A fine dust from this eruption was scattered over the Orkney Islands, a distance of 500 miles from Hecla. Indeed, the great quantities of fine dust ejected, and the immense distances to which it has been carried, have generally been noted as characteristic of the Icelandic eruptions.