The Earth is warning us that it will not give out everything
It is quarter to nine in the evening, March 19, 2021, and the Icelandic peninsula of Reykjanes is nearing the end of its eight hundred years long era of tranquillity. The earth is ruptured and hot lava is gushing out of its bowels. The Fagradalsfjall volcano has awakened to life, revealing the giant forces that lie beneath the surface. Over the next few months, the erupted and cooled lava will create new valleys that stretch for several miles from the original fissure. A similar process had been shaping Iceland’s landscape for millions of years.
The volcano’s message may be read as a warning. There is a vast and immeasurable amount of energy within our reach; however, humankind is not destined to harness it. If this energy is ever released, it would become absolutely devastating. This shows that certain forces are simply untouchable. The eruption is preceded by earthquakes, which may be facilitated by the release of earth pressure caused by the melting of glaciers as well as the injections of water into the Earth’s depths through geothermal wells.
Iceland is not only a land of ice, but also of fire. The island is specifically positioned – it is located right at the top of the mid-Atlantic ridge. This is where two giant tectonic plates meet, and over the course of millions of years, each of them is carrying a piece of Iceland with it. As the plates break apart, the island expands very slowly to the east and to the west. Then the volcanoes erupt.
The earth ruptures and erupting magma have made Fagradalsfjall a tourist destination. The awe-inspiring scenery attracts crowds of tourists because, unlike many other volcanoes, it is easily accessible and close to the country’s capital. From its heliports, helicopters take off, circling almost incessantly over the fissure that is spewing hot lava into the valley to allow the more affluent visitors to witness this supreme geological and power generating event from above.
Fagradalsfjall: Landscaping in real time
In less than half a year since Fagradalsfjall first made itself known – still only as a rupture in the ground – the valley with the active volcano has become one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions, thanks to its good accessibility and location near the country’s capital. Therefore, it is not easy to find a suitable place to listen to the sounds of the volcano. The crest of the hill from which the crater and lava field are visible is teeming with tourists; drones and helicopters are circling the sky offering sightseeing flights around the crater, and the wind here is quite strong. The area didn’t calm down until dusk. Magnús used a microphone to capture the sound of the boiling lava that was pouring out of the crater like boiling water or a tidewave, and the crumbling sounds that only days or weeks old lava makes. In this form, the rock is not only very sharp, but also very porous and brittle due to air bubbles that enter the lava as it cools down.
