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Magmatic Memories: Eldfell, 1973
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Osian Elias ,
Helga Hallbergsdóttir,
Sigurjón Hafsteinsson
Volcanica, Volume: 7, Issue: 1, Pages: 361 - 403
Swansea University Authors:
Rhian Hedd Meara, Osian Elias
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DOI (Published version): 10.30909/vol.07.01.361403
Abstract
2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Eldfell eruption on the island of Heimaey, Iceland. The eruption began unexpectedly at 1:50 a.m. on the 23rd of January 1973, creating a need to evacuate all 5300 residents to the Icelandic mainland by fishing fleet. The eruption is synonymous with the is...
| Published in: | Volcanica |
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| ISSN: | 2610-3540 |
| Published: |
Volcanica
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68771 |
| Abstract: |
2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Eldfell eruption on the island of Heimaey, Iceland. The eruption began unexpectedly at 1:50 a.m. on the 23rd of January 1973, creating a need to evacuate all 5300 residents to the Icelandic mainland by fishing fleet. The eruption is synonymous with the islanders’ fight to save their town by spraying cold seawater onto the advancing lava flows. Previous research has focussed on the physical volcanology and igneous petrology of the eruption and the wider Vestmannaeyjar Volcanic System; however, very little research has focussed on the social impacts of the eruption. Fieldwork identified how the 1973 eruption is remembered and commemorated by the residents of Heimaey both in public and private settings. Over 50 memorials are discussed, including artworks, sculptures, museum exhibitions, in-person events, and online digital repositories that highlight connections to the eruption itself and to life before the eruption. Interviews and surveys with the local community draw attention to the ongoing impacts of the eruption—for example, traumatic responses to hazard events such as the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. A predominantly positive community narrative of the event has persisted for several decades. The narrative depends on the belief that no deaths were caused by the eruption, the successful rebuilding and recovery of the town, and the resilience of the residents. The last ten years, however, have seen a change in how the community discuss their experiences of the eruption, with a new focus on the loneliness, bullying, isolation, danger, and trauma experienced during the event. |
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| Keywords: |
Eldfell; Heimaey; Iceland; Eruption; Community; Memory |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This project was completed with funding from the ColegCymraeg Cenedlaethol, Swansea University and Lognostics. |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
361 |
| End Page: |
403 |