Heimaey of Iceland
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Transcript Heimaey of Iceland
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,
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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
Fig 2A
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Fig 2B
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)
Early History
Iceland first settled by the Norse Gaells (Ostmann, or East men) who
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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
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Fig 4A
Eldfell
1:55 AM January 23, 1973, 10
Fig 4A
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Fig 4B
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
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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
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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
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Fig 9A
Simmer down now!
Large scale cooling effort
Pumping equipment
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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
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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
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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
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Geothermal System Schematic
Fig 13A; a USGS schematic for the geothermal
heating system used in Heimaey, Iceland.
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Heimaey Today
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
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Heimaey Hazard Map
Lava and
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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
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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
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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
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Image References
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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.
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<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