Laki erupted for months in Iceland in 1783 and caused a major famine.
The Laki eruption began on 8 June 1783 as a fissure eruption in southern Iceland. Over the following months, lava and volcanic gases emerged from a long series of vents now known as the Lakagígar craters.
The eruption released enormous quantities of sulfur dioxide and fluorine. In Iceland, poisoned pasture and livestock deaths led to the severe famine known as the Mist Hardships, killing a substantial share of the population. The eruption also affected air quality and climate across parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Laki is often called a volcano, but it is more precisely a volcanic fissure or crater row linked to the Grímsvötn volcanic system. It should not be confused with Hekla, another Icelandic volcano with a separate eruption history.