“By creating we think, by living we learn” Patrick Geddes
Jökulhlaups (glacial outburst floods) present a natural hazard to inhabitants and infrastructure of Iceland's south coast. The high-energy, debris-rich floods are capable of eroding, transporting and depositing vast quantities of sediment; and in some cases can completely re-shape sandur topography within a single flood event. They can be triggered by sudden drainage of ice-dammed lakes or by meltwater released during sub-glacial volcanic eruptions; or a combination of both.
This research focuses on collecting contemporary field evidence of a 10th century jökulhlaup at SólheimajÖkull; a southern outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull ice cap which overlies the active volcano, Katla. Geomorphic, sedimentological and tephrostratigraphic evidence constrains the route taken by the flood and offers clues regarding its magnitude and whether or not it was caused by meltwater from a sub-glacial eruption, or an isolated event of ice-dammed lake failure.
Drawing on previous research undertaken at Sólheimassandur, a chronology of jökulhlaups can be developed, supported by a dating framework of volcanic eruptions and glacial fluctuations. Identification of pathways, magnitudes and frequencies of past jökulhlaups at Sólheimajökull allows for greater accuracy in predicting potential flood routes, should another major subglacial eruption occur here today.
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