1973 Iceland Volcanic Eruption

The 1973 Icelandic eruption caused a major crisis for the island and nearly led to its permanent evacuation. Volcanic ash fell over most of the island, destroying many houses, and a lava flow threatened to close off the harbour, the island's main income source via its fishing fleet. An operation was mounted to cool the advancing lava flow by pumping sea water onto it, which was successful in preventing the loss of the harbour. After the eruption finished, the islanders used heat from the slowly cooling lava flows to provide hot water and to generate electricity. They also used some of the extensive tephra, fall-out of airborne volcanic material, to extend the runway at the island's small airport, and as landfill, on which 200 new houses were built. The eruption also formed Eldfell, a composite volcanic cone just over 200 metres (660 ft) high on the Icelandic island of Heimaey. It formed just outside the town of Heimaey on 23 January1973 and its name means Mountain of Fire in Icelandic.

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• 1973 Iceland Volcanic Eruption
• Eldfell
• Heimaey
• Mountain
• of
• Fire.

[SweetPeas436]

I would like to see the complete video too. Do you have access? I'm showing to my science class this week. What is there is good; my curiosity in now piqued though.

[BudgieFace1]

I was a year old,and unaware of this!

[TheKkkkkk14]

I come from Heimaey.



[davidhertzberg]

What an incredible video, thank you. The manner in which this volcano was contained was nothing short of ingenious.

[starquant]

I would have loved to have seen this doco in full.