Holuhraun is a large lava field just north of the Vatnajökull ice cap, in the North Eastern Icelandic Highlands. The lava field was created by fissure eruptions. After a research expedition in 1880, the lava field was initially called Kvislarhraun.
Nearby places: Kverkfjöll, Askja & Víti, Dreki, Herðubreiðarlindir
Until 2014, the surface of the lava field was of an older lava flow, which had erupted from a vent associated with Askja in 1797.In the early hours of 29 August 2014, a small fissure eruption occurred in Holuhraun at the northern end of a magma intrusion which had moved progressively north, since 16 August, from the Bárðarbunga volcano.
The new fissures were substantially smaller than the older fissure.By 7 September, the lava flow had extended 11 km (6.8 mi) to the north, and had reached the main western branch of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river. The eruption showed no visible activity in the southern fissure, on the evening of 7 September. The lava flow is considered to be the largest in recent decades in Iceland and covered 44 km2 (17 sq mi) on 29 September.
The volcanic eruption in Holuhraun continued with similar intensity as the previous few weeks. The lava field covered 63 km2 (24 sq mi) in late October. On 11 November, it was reported that the lava field extended to 70 km2 (27 sq mi) and more than 1 km3 (0.24 cu mi) in volume – the largest in Iceland since the Laki eruption of 1783. The eruption ended on 27 February 2015. The Holuhraun lava field measures more than 85 km2 (33 sq mi) and the volume is around 1.6 km3 (0.38 cu mi).