I don’t quite know what I expected to see, but when the plane landed parallel to the south coast of Reykjanes, I had to press my face against the window. It is possible that the expectation of experiencing an inferno in flames, lava and a huge cloud of ash was somewhat unrealistic. Because down there it looked remarkably ordinary. You don’t see emptiness from such a distance. You don’t hear silence when you’re sitting on a noisy plane. Iceland started to shake a bit last weekend. There were hundreds of earthquakes per hour. Geologists were sure of their case. There is going to be a volcanic eruption. And the outbreak can happen so close to the town of Grindavik that everyone must evacuate as soon as possible. I traveled to Iceland on Sunday. HOLD ON (ASH): Do you remember the spring of 2010? When volcanic ash from Iceland paralyzed large parts of air traffic in Europe. This eruption occurred under a glacier which caused the lava to cool more quickly and created a cloud of ash. There is not the same danger of becoming “ash-proof” this time. Photo: Reuters This is one of the biggest events in Iceland for quite a few years. The last time a volcanic eruption here received as much attention was when Eyjafjallajökull had a series of eruptions that caused an ash cloud to paralyze air traffic in large parts of Europe for several days. Created by volcanoes You can see landscapes in a very good way from the air. The sheer cliffs can feel quite inhospitable. The black beaches testify to what nature is capable of. Black lava sand is created when glowing lava flows into cold sea water and is quickly cooled. Then the lava cracks open and becomes coarse-grained, black sand. BEACH: This is what a black beach looks like. Here from Vik Photo: Frank Augstein / Ap Presumably it was volcanic activity that created Iceland some 16–18 million years ago Wednesday came and the rumor had spread that it would be possible for foreign media to enter Grindavik. But for six hours the mature policewoman had been shaking her head. There was no possibility of escorting them into the area until they had finished with all evacuees who were to be allowed to return and collect necessary belongings. And all the big trucks. Who was supposed to collect fish from the fish reception. Livestock from farms and equipment from industry. Completely understandable. The most important thing first. The car was good and warm. The view is impeccable. A beautiful Icelandic landscape can entertain you for a long time. POLICE ESCORT: Icelandic police drove international media into Grindavik in small groups. Photo: Joakim Reigstad / news The contrasts along the road But then she came up to us “You can go. Follow the police car and follow the instructions you receive”. A handful of cars set off with Grindavik as their destination. At last we were to see the extent of the damage. See and understand which natural forces had been at work. The first major contrast occurred approx. seven kilometers east of Grindavik. A large parking lot for the “Fagradalsfjall Volcano Hike”, as the nature experience is called, has been built quite recently here. Until Friday last week, you could therefore park your car here and make the hour-long trip up to the “mountain in the beautiful valley”, as the volcano’s name means. VOLCANO: Tourists enjoy the view of Fagradalsfjall in 2022. There have been several eruptions later, but the volcano has never threatened settlements. Photo: AFP As recently as August there was an outbreak here. And people went in droves to see the flow of lava that glowed as the heavy, tough mass flowed down the valley But now a volcanic eruption a little further down the valley threatens to obliterate an entire town. It’s not as fun. Much of the tourism in Iceland is based on the extreme nature and not least the extreme forces of nature. People travel from all corners of the world to experience Iceland. To see volcanoes, hot springs, black beaches and weathered cliffs. All created by the fact that the country lies between the Eurasian and North American continental plates. It is clear that the Icelanders have pressed the lava to their chest (in the most figurative sense, of course). Usually outbreaks do not occur where people live. In fact, it has not happened since the eruption on Vestmannaeyjar in 1973 that areas with urban settlements have been affected by an eruption. GRINDAVIK CENTRE: The western parts of the city have sunk by one meter compared to the eastern part of the city. The damage is already enormous – even without a volcanic eruption. Photo: Joakim Reigstad / news Now it can happen again. A surreal scene The lead car drove quickly through the countryside. There was little time to take in nature. The eyes were kept on the road. But when we approached Grindavik, it was as if nature threw up a curtain. For a drama in several acts. Where no one has bothered to finish writing the ending. The sun peeked through some cracks in the cloud layer and created large, moving cones of light. Just like on a stage. Only that the scene was a weather-beaten, wild and beautiful landscape. With an invisible danger in the background. RIGHT NEXT: The biggest crack in the ground in Grindavik runs directly in front of the new Grindavíkurkirkja from 1982. Photo: Joakim Reigstad / news And inside the city it was almost like walking in a backdrop. Because a city without people is a dead city. Empty houses. Quiet streets. Signs for shops and restaurants. But there was no one in there. The silence that makes one understand even better the expression “calm before the storm”. The silence you couldn’t hear from the plane, but which became so very clear now. What now, Grindavik? Iceland is well prepared for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Here there are monitoring and warning systems. The houses are built to withstand a shock. The plans for evacuation exist, and they have been practiced. DAMAGE: The earthquakes have already caused major damage in the center of Grindavik Photo: Joakim Reigstad / news But no one has trained for uncertainty. And that is perhaps the most difficult thing right now. What if Grindavik never becomes habitable again? What if this takes years? What if the outbreak happens in the middle of the city? Then the old fishing village on Reykjanes’ southern coast becomes the “Pompeii of the North” Buried under masses of lava. Just as the Italian city was almost 2,000 years ago. I have met many worried and partly scared people in the last week. Don’t fear for your own life. It has gone well with everyone, but there is great concern for the future. Can be prolonged People have moved in with friends and family. To the extent that it is correct to say “moved in”. When what you have is a couple of bags with the most necessary things you got carried away. QUEUE: Residents of Grindavik are queuing to come back and pick up a few more belongings, look around the houses and maybe find the family cat. Photo: Joakim Reigstad / news Neighbors and friends are spread all over Iceland. Many are worried about what is happening to their workplace in Grindavik. The school pupils have not yet fully started teaching again. Should one find out the routines from the corona pandemic and have digital classrooms? Or should you find a place where you can gather for physical education. It is also not so easy when the students can live anywhere in Iceland. Because gradually this week it has dawned on people that this is not an evacuation that will be over in a couple of days. It can take months. Maybe years. POWERFUL: Little doubt that there have been great forces at work in Grindavik. The construction of the city will take a long time anyway, and there is no point in starting while the situation is still so unsafe. Photo: Joakim Reigstad / news And it is when you finally stand in front of the huge crack in the landscape and see how the city has simply sunk a meter into the terrain, that you understand what natural forces are at work beneath our feet. Covering this event has been a somewhat special experience. For the first few hours, I and probably quite a few people with me thought that Iceland was about to crack. You have sort of sat and waited for something to happen that you didn’t hope would happen. It is periodically quite an exciting exercise. The best thing would be if the seismic activity subsides and the geologists consider it safe to move back. Although it could, hypothetically, happen at any time, the damage of the past week will take months to repair. So Grindavik will most likely not be habitable this side of the New Year anyway. Also listen:
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Icelandic volcanoes are both a tourist attraction and a major threat – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
