in 1362, the volcano erupted explosively, ejecting huge amounts of tephra. the district of litla-hérað was destroyed by floods and tephra fall. sailors reported pumice “in such masses that ships could hardly make their way through it”. thick volcanic deposits obliterated farmland, and ash travelled as far as western europe. more than 40 years passed before people again settled the area, which became known as öræfi. the name literally means "an area without harbour", but it took on a meaning of "wasteland" in icelandic.