THE 1973 ELDFELL ERUPTION: ICELAND’S “POMPEII OF THE NORTH”

The 1973 Eldfell eruption: Iceland’s “Pompeii of the North” Fish Focus’ latest feature follows our trip to the Icelandic archipelago, Vestmannaeyjar. At the end of our first day in Heimaey, we had some time to fill before dinner at Slippurinn, so decided to walk up to the top of Eldfell, Heimaey’s volcano. As we got nearer the summit, the wind picked up and strong gusts were making an otherwise easy walk, slightly scary as the ridge at the top is narrow and the drop either side looked a long waydown. The view from the top was spectacular and well worth the near-death experience of being blown off the edge of an Icelandic volcano. Introduction In the early hours of January 23, 1973, the residents of Heimaey, the only inhabited island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, were shaken awake by one of the most unexpected and destructive volcanic eruptions in modern Icelandic history. A fissure opened just a few hundred metres from the edge of town, unleashing fire fountains of molten ...