an icelandic tale of fire, flows, and vestmann ingenuity t. saylor iv
DESCRIPTION
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 1ATRANSCRIPT
Heimaey of IcelandT. Saylor IV
Heimaey of Iceland
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
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
2
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)
3
~ 125 volcanic eruptions documented since 874 A.D. (USGS, 1973)
14 offshore eruptions, centered mainly off of the Reykjanes Ridge (USGS, 1973
Fig 4A
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
5
20 million cubic meters of tephra ejected
Built the cone in 2 days
Eventually became 183m tall (February of 1973)
7
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!
1.5 billion gallons of water
30 km of pipe
Began in early July, 1973
Used bulldozers to move tephra over the flows in order to lay pipe
Simmer down now!
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
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
12
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
13
Fig 13A; a USGS schematic for the geothermal heating system used in Heimaey, Iceland.
Heimaey Today
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
Fig 14B
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
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
17
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
18
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
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/>.
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.
Heimaey of Iceland
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
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
2
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)
3
~ 125 volcanic eruptions documented since 874 A.D. (USGS, 1973)
14 offshore eruptions, centered mainly off of the Reykjanes Ridge (USGS, 1973
Fig 4A
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
5
20 million cubic meters of tephra ejected
Built the cone in 2 days
Eventually became 183m tall (February of 1973)
7
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!
1.5 billion gallons of water
30 km of pipe
Began in early July, 1973
Used bulldozers to move tephra over the flows in order to lay pipe
Simmer down now!
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
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
12
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
13
Fig 13A; a USGS schematic for the geothermal heating system used in Heimaey, Iceland.
Heimaey Today
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
Fig 14B
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
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
17
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
18
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
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/>.
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.