Heimaey is an island located four miles south of Iceland and it’s the largest island in the Vestmannaeyjar chain. With an area of 5 square miles, Heimaey is the only inhabited island in the chain. There are over 5,000 people living in the fishing town of Vestmannaeyjar. Residents of the island are connected to the rest of Iceland by ferry and airplane service.
Eruption of Eldfell in Iceland
On January 23, 1973, a fissure opened on the eastern side of Heimaey at approximately 1:00 a.m. It was 1,100 yards from the center of the town of Vestmannaeyjar. The fissure was one and one-quarter miles long and spread from one side of the island to another. In the beginning, fountains of lava spouted all along the fissure but soon the activity reduced to a small area one-half mile from Helgafell Mountain.
While the fissure was erupting, underwater volcanic activity was occurring at both ends of the fissure vent and it continued for three days. Within a two-day period, a cinder cone developed and projected upwards 110 yards above sea level. This newly created mountain was named Eldfell.
Eldfell spewed lava and tephra (airborne ash, rock fragments and volcanic bombs) at a rapid rate. Strong winds developed and caused the tephra fallout to reach the town of Vestmannaeyjar. Many homes were buried.
A few weeks later, the tephra activity subsided but a large flow of lava spread to the eastern side of town. The approaching lava headed in the direction of the harbor. This posed a threat to the fishing industry.
By the end of February, Eldfell grew larger and was standing at 200 yards high. Lava continued to flow steadily and carried large blocks of rock from the cone, plus volcanic bombs were created.
In late March, another lava flow headed for Vestmannaeyjar and covered more houses and obliterated the power plant. Eruptions and lava flows continued for several months. More houses and commercial buildings were buried or caught fire from flying lava rocks.
By July 1973, the flow of lava was no longer visible but activity continued below the earth’s surface for a while longer.
According to a USGS General Interest Publication, Man Against Volcano: The Eruption of Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, “preliminary estimates about 300 million cubic yards of tephra were deposited on and adjacent to Heimaey. By early May this flow as 10 to 23 yards high at its front, averaged more than 40 yards thick, and was as much as 110 yards thick in places.”
Damage Caused by the Eruption of Eldfell in Iceland
The underwater volcanic activity also severed the water pipeline and electric cable connected to mainland Iceland. As a result, the island of Heimaey had no drinking water or electricity.
Further in the USGS General Interest publication, “by early May, 300 buildings were buried by lava flows or destroyed by fire. An additional 60 to 70 homes were buried by tephra.”
Part of the harbor was filled in by lava and tephra. This had a negative impact on the fishing industry, which is the main source of employment in Vestmannaeyjar. It also impacted the economy of Iceland because fish is exported to other countries.
Although one-third of the town of Vestmannaeyjer was destroyed by the eruption of Eldfell, crews of volunteers and emergency services reduced potential damage by spraying seawater onto the lava flows. They managed to stop or re-route the lava. The volunteers also tried to save buildings by clearing tephra from the rooftops and covering the windows with corrugated metal sheets.
No lives were lost in Vestmannaeyjer because there was already a disaster plan in place. All residents were evacuated on fishing boats a few hours after the first eruption.
Related Articles on Volcanoes:
Eruption of Mount Redoubt Alaska, 2009
Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
Eruption of Mount St Helens, 1980
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