An Icelandic tale of fire, flows, and Vestmann ingenuity T. Saylor IV Heimaey of Iceland An Icelandic tale of fire, flows, and Vestmann ingenuity T. Saylor IV

The Basics 6 km off the mainland Last erupted January 23, 1973 – Eldfell (Mountain of Fire) Eruption ended late February of the same year Island was originally fueled by Submarine volcanism and created by Helgafell Fishing City Population of ~ 4,100 (2011) Fig 1A

Vestmannaeyjar Along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Youngest volcanic system in the Eastern zone of Icelandic volcanism (Subaerial vents of Holocene age) Named after original Irish slave settlers Vestmenn (West men), Aeyjar (Islands) Most Famous Island, Heimaey Also home to Surtsey (20 km to the SW) Fig 2A Fig 2B

Early History Iceland first settled by the Norse Gaells (Ostmann, or East men) who brought Irish slaves in 874 (recognized as first settlers) Hjörleifur, murdered by these slaves in his first year Ingolfur (3A), Hjörleifur’s blood brother tracked them down to Heimaey, and enacted revenge Later, in 1627, the islands were captured by Barbary Pirates from Algiers Gained modern fame through Surtseys eruption in 1963 (3B) Fig 3A Fig 3B

Icelands Volcanic History ~ 125 volcanic eruptions documented since 874 A.D. (USGS, 1973) 14 offshore eruptions, centered mainly off of the Reykjanes Ridge (USGS, 1973 Fig 4A

Eldfell 1:55 AM January 23, 1973, 10 years after Surtsey A 2 km long fissure opened in the ground in what was originally a peaceful field A vent centralized to the NE and Eldfell was born Fig 4A Fig 4B

Fig 6A

The Fissure/Cone Dormant for approximately 5,000 years 20 million cubic meters of tephra ejected Built the cone in 2 days Eventually became 183m tall (February of 1973) Fig 7B Fig 7A

Lava! 230 million cubic meters of lava Alkali basalt (Murgearite to Hawaiite) Flow rate of 3-9 meters a day, moving towards the town and harbor, so low effusion rate Submarine volcanism (Surtseyan), later moved to Hawaaiin Initial Eruptive rate:100 m3/sec Seawater to the rescue! Fig 8A

Simmer down now! Large scale cooling effort Fig 9A Simmer down now! Large scale cooling effort Pumping equipment borrowed from the U.S. 1.5 billion gallons of water 30 km of pipe 43 pumps Began in early July, 1973 Used bulldozers to move tephra over the flows in order to lay pipe Fig 9B

More on cooling Workers laying pipes over actively moving flows (10A) No casualties during this effort A few cases of minor burns The pipe supports quickly burned, but the pipes themselves were still cool due to the seawater moving through them that they survived. These pipes can still be seen today. Mostly inhabitants who volunteered to stay and help fight the flames as well as a team of Icelandic scientists and engineers (USGS, 1973) Most ambitious attempt by man to control a volcanic event Fig 10A

After the Eruption ~350 buildings burnt to the ground 70 homes nearly completely buried in tephra ~ 15 million cubic meters of tephra needed to be removed from the town Most of the towns original inhabitants returned for the cleanup efforts. Fig 11A

Geothermal power Heat was extracted from the slowly cooling lava flows; Fig 12A shows latent subthermal heat after the 1973 eruption Used as a heating system for the town of Vestmannaeyjar System emplaced in 1979 and operated for ten years until the flows cooled. Fig 12A

Geothermal System Schematic Fig 13A; a USGS schematic for the geothermal heating system used in Heimaey, Iceland.

Heimaey Today Approximately 4,100 inhabitants (2011) Fig 14B Approximately 4,100 inhabitants (2011) Still Icelands most important fishing harbor For a sweet panorama showing the town today as well as Helgafell and Eldfell, follow this link: http://www.vestmannaeyjar.pano3d.eu/ Þjóðhátíð, a festival celebrating Icelands independence from Denmark is now the main attraction Heimaey offers; 24 hours of fun and beer! Also home to Puffins! (Fig 14B) Fig 14A

Heimaey Hazard Map Lava and pyroclastics Hazard Map Proximal hazard Medial Hazard Distal Hazard Hazard Maps created by Tom Saylor IV using GoogleEarth, USGS, known weather patterns and other documents for reference Fig 15A

Hazard Map Cont. Tephra and Ejecta Hazard Map Proximal hazard Medial Hazard Distal Hazard Hazard Maps created by Tom Saylor IV using GoogleEarth, USGS, known weather patterns and other documents for reference Fig 16A

A note on the previous Hazard Map During the 1973 eruption, prevailing winds blew tephra to the North East rather than the South West. The dominant wind pattern for Heimaey is a South Westerly wind, but depending on time of year as well as other weather conditions this can change (Weather Underground, 2012). Fig 17A (USGS,1973) shows the plume rising from Heimaey during the 1973 eruption. Fig 17A

Volcanic (mostly) Videos Follow this link for a video of the 1973 eruption and evacuation efforts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX9e9ei6v3s Follow this link for an educational video on the 1963 Surtsey eruption and the 1973 eruption of Eldfell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sRw_e5RA34 For nearly 30 minutes of uninterrupted Puffin action, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVrRJvZdZHg

Image References 1A : Centrum. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html>. 2A : Gill, Victoria. "Could Another Icelandic Volcano Erupt Soon?" BBC News. BBC, 05 Oct. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8668604.stm>. 2B : Google Earth Screen Capture 3A: ÓVÁ. "Ingólfur Arnarson." Flickr. Yahoo!, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/2odinn/5451743423/lightbox/>. 3B : "Space Aliens Blamed For Electric Universe." Space Aliens Blamed For Electric Universe. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2007/arch07/071105spacealiens.htm>. 4A : "Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland." Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/>. 5A : Centrum. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html>. 5B : Centrum. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html>. 6A : Centrum. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html>. 7A : Centrum. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html>. 7B : "Iceland in Pictures." Icelandpictures.tumblr.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. <http://icelandpictures.tumblr.com/post/17314265440/vestmannaeyjar>. 8A : Centrum. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html>. 9A : http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/212_spring2005.web.dir/philip_fitzgerald/tecniques.htm 9B : Volcano.und.nodak.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. <http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/heimaey/heimaey.html>. 10A : "Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland." Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/>. 11A : "Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland." Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/>. 12A : "Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland." Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/>. 13A : "Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland." Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/>. 14A : http://drinks.seriouseats.com/images/2011/09/20110901iceland-500.jpg 14B : Col, Ela. Puffin. 2012. Photograph. Heimaey, Iceland. Flickr, 20 June 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/elacol/7427598690/>. 15A : Courtesy of Tom Saylor IV, 2012. 16A : Courtesy of Tom Saylor IV, 2012. 17A : "Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland." Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/>.

Text References Centrum. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html>. Einarsson, T., 1974, The Heimaey eruption in words and pictures: Heimskringla, Reykjavik, 56 p. "Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland." Man Against Volcano: Heimaey, Iceland. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. Morgan, A. V. "The Eldfell Eruption, Heimaey, Iceland: A 25-year Retrospective." Geoscience Canada 27.1 (2000): 11-18. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/>. Simkin, T., and Siebert, L., 1994, Volcanoes of the World: Geoscience Press, Tucson, Arizona, 349 p. Williams, R.S., and Moore, J.G., 1983, Man against volcano: The eruption on Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland: U.S. Geological Survey General Interest Publication, 27 p