The Becoming of a Volcanophile
Some Reflections on Resilience and Preparedness from the Volcanoes of Iceland
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I am a week out from the most glorious trip to Iceland with my family. This trip was mostly for pleasure. But when we started planning, I was well into the research for this project and started thinking about how the trip could intersect with climate change and emergency preparedness. The possibilities almost seemed endless with the ubiquitous volcanic activity and sustainable geothermal energy. And they were endless…and overwhelming in all definitions of the word. And now that I’m back, it still feels overwhelming. As such, my reflections are a bit scattered in that post-vacation haze. But I’ll give you an unpolished, not-completely-organized rundown of some things I observed on the trip.
But first, let’s talk about Iceland
I know, I know, you know where Iceland is. It’s that island nation in the North Atlantic that almost half your Instagram feed has visited in the last decade or so (largely thanks to IcelandAir’s successful marketing campaign to get visitors to Iceland after the 2008 economic crisis). If you haven’t been there, you may think of it as a place full of ubiquitous hot springs amidst backdrops of lava rock and bright green mossy mountains. You may also know it from the 2010 eruption of the volcano no one could pronounce–Eyjafjallajökull–that caused weeks of travel delays from Europe.
But did you know that the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption was but one of seven eruptions that have already occurred in Iceland in the first two decades of the 21st Century? Admittedly, before this trip I was marginally interested in volcanoes. I was more interested in the hot springs which are, of course, volcano adjacent. But I hadn't given the volcanoes themselves much thought, even on the last trip my husband and I took there in 2016.
Enter this Iceland trip. Given that I was accompanied by a six-year-old who, since he was three, has made lava-spewing volcanoes a regular subject of his doodling repertoire. With him and my increased interest in emergency preparedness, it seemed a good time to learn more about volcanoes.
At first, my curiosity was mostly about how Icelanders live with the constant threat of volcanic eruption and how they prepare. As such, I thought I could glean some lessons around climate resilience from Icelandic volcano preparedness (an idea whose seeds were planted by this article about the island of Heimaey off the southern coast of Iceland). So after a conversation with the wonderful Jewells from All Things Iceland as we planned the trip, she recommended that we travel the South Coast and that I lean into the volcano stuff, especially checking out the Icelandic Lava Show in Vík, a town that would serve as our home base for a good portion of the trip.
The thing is, one need not attend the Lava Show to get some real-deal volcano content. Perhaps not actively erupting volcanoes, but volcanoes nonetheless. Look no further than outside the window of the car from the moment you start your journey. As far as the eye can see are bumpy lava fields from long ago (or in some cases not so long ago) eruptions now covered in bright green moss. And those hot springs–even the hot spring-fed community pools–are thanks to the volcanic activity just bubbling down there below the surface. The most scenic spots you can find are, you guessed it, because of volcanoes or other seismic activity.
The enormous crack in the ground that makes Þingvellir National Park one of the most popular destinations in Iceland? The physical representation of a volcanic fissure belt, and the only place in the world you can actually see and stand between two tectonic plates. The regular eruptions from the Strokkur Geyser? Underground hot water heated by bubbling magma–read: volcanic activity–below the earth’s surface. The basalt columns that are the backdrop of the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near Vík? They were formed from rapidly cooling lava from a past volcanic eruption.
Not to mention the actual volcanoes themselves. We traveled within the shadows of notable active volcanoes, specifically Hekla, Eyjafjallajökull, and Katla (and probably more). Volcanoes are Iceland. The beauty and the grandeur of the country is very much because of them. It only enhanced the experience to learn about volcanoes and what they mean for Iceland and to Icelanders from the several museum exhibits and experiences on the trip.
And with that, I bring you some unvarnished reflections.
The symbiotic relationship between people and volcanoes
I realized I went in with the assumption of an adversarial relationship between people and volcanoes. The volcano is a consistent threat, and as such one must always be prepared. And while that is true in some ways, I observed on this trip that the relationship seemed the opposite of adversarial, rather one of respect and awe.
Icelanders not only have respect and love for the volcanoes, but they’ve also harnessed the power of volcanoes for their benefit. They have almost ubiquitous access to one of the coolest (IMHO) forms of renewable energy, geothermal energy. And Icelandic culture has one of the best (IMHO) practices of daily relaxation, infinite access to hot spring-fed pools. There are even bakeries that use the geothermal heat to bake their bread.
In retrospect, I realize how obvious this symbiosis is. For someone who has been learning more each year from Indigenous cultures and communities about the need to create a symbiotic relationship between the Earth and ourselves, I’m almost embarrassed about this assumption of an antagonistic relationship between human and mountain. Native Hawaiians have always believed that volcanoes are alive and, as such, should be treated as a living being and should influence land management policy. And not coincidentally, these Native Hawaiian cultural beliefs and practices around volcanoes have taken root in universal terminology and concepts in volcanology.
I learned at the Lava Show in Vik—where they make real life lava in a controlled setting—that the two types of lava flows are universally called by their Hawaiian names: Pahoehoe (pronounced "pah-hoy-hoy")–the lava with a smooth, billowy surface–and aa (pronounced "ah-ah")–rough, bubbly lava. And when Tom, the Lava Show facilitator noted that the wispy glass particles created by the cooled lava are called “Pele’s hair,” another volcano term from Native Hawaiians. Maybe my next volcano excursion will be the other way across an ocean.
There’s an acceptance around preparing for impending eruptions
The other feature of The Lava Show–perhaps even more interesting to me than the lava itself–was when Tom briefly described how the small town of Vik is prepared for a Katla eruption, which is 50+ years overdue. He noted that there are different evacuation plans for residents (which as of 2016 was just over 300) and one for tourists (which, in the summer might actually overtake the number of residents). Residents have orange placards that display a checklist of how to prepare their homes and when they leave, they post the large notice prominently in their window so authorities know they’ve evacuated.
True that Vik is a tiny town, but I was struck by the level of acceptance that this will happen and everyone must be ready to go. I compare this to the feeling that so many of us here in Portland have about this enormous earthquake that, like Katla, is long overdue and could happen at any moment. But I’m not sure how many Portlanders have accepted or, rather, are prepared for the impending earthquake. Yes, organizing 300+ people and some tourists is a very different thing than coordinating an entire city of over 600,000. But maybe with the volcano sitting right there behind them there’s a consistent reminder for people to be ready versus the somewhat abstract idea of an earthquake in a place that rarely experiences noticeable seismic activity.
As such, my hypothesis about whether living with the consistent threat of volcanic eruptions provides lessons around resilience and preparedness proved more or less true. And I’m committed to diving into that more, especially with some of the non-volcano climate change topics Iceland has to offer (receding glaciers anyone?). While I have a lot to learn, this trip most definitely created a burgeoning volcanophile, something my son and I can share.
As Finch and I flipped through the photobook we bought about the most recent eruption in Iceland—the 2021 Geldingadalir eruption that was a mere hour’s walk from a main road and not terribly far from Reykjavik—I said to him: “next time an eruption like this happens, we should get to Iceland asap.”
He wholeheartedly agreed.
Relevant notes from our Iceland trip
While this isn’t a travel blog, here are some deets for those interested in visiting Iceland. This is a snapshot and doesn’t include all that we did or where we stayed over the course of the two-week trip, but it is more or less relevant to the content of this post.
We spent our time in the countryside traveling along the South Coast in slow-travel fashion. Along the way, we stayed in Hveragerði (1 night), Hvolsvöllur (2 nights) and Vik (4 nights), plus a few nights on the end in Reykjavik where we saw three nights of my husband’s fave band, Wilco. The funny thing is these towns are no more than an hour apart, but it allowed us to amply explore the surrounding areas and have some good down time in between. Also, I had booked the 2 nights in Hvolsvöllur because of its proximity to the ferry to Heimaey (where part of the main town was destroyed by a volcano in the 1970s) hoping that we might make it that way. But we were tired of being consistently on-the-move and needed a slower day, so we didn't end up making the trek and stayed closer to home, but that did lead us to the LAVA Centre which was a highlight for Finch (and me, if I’m being honest). Guess I’ll have to save Heimaey for another day!
With that, here’s a general list of relevant activities ordered by geography (this does not include most of the waterfalls we visited of which there are many, so many that you’re kind of done with them by the end).
The Golden Circle
We didn’t see these sites the last time around in 2016, and while they’re super busy tourist hot spots, they’re hot spots for a reason.
Þingvellir National Park: The only place in the world you can stand between two tectonic plates which also holds great cultural significance as the historic site of one of the earliest parliamentary gatherings (Vikings knew democracy, y’all!). I recommend splurging on the interactive exhibit at the welcome center. If we didn’t have the 6yo along, I probably would’ve skipped it, but it gave a a deeper overview of the historical and geological significance of the area.
Laugurvatn Fontana: Come for the fancy lakeside hot spring pools, stay for the geothermal baked bread.
Gulfoss: If you see one waterfall (among the approximately 3 trillion in Iceland), see this one. It’s a tourist hot spot, but it is spectacular.
Strokkur Geyser: Very active geyser that erupts at regular intervals promising a show any visit. It’s a crazy busy area, but geysers are damn cool, so check it out.
The Secret Lagoon/Gamla Laugin: Want to swim in a natural hot spring right next to a tiny, active geyser with the comforts of showers and such? This is your place. It was one of my favorite hot springs on the trip and it was chill and quiet and did feel pretty isolated which I loved. (Nearby there’s an out-in-nature hot pot, Hrunalaug that, if I didn’t have a 6yo who I wasn’t about to coax into changing clothes in the freezing air, we would’ve taken a dip there).
The South Coast
LAVA Centre in Hvolsvöllur: This was the perfect intro to the ridiculous amount of volcanic activity in Iceland.
Icelandic Lava Show in Vik: It was honestly quite cool to see real-life lava (even if it was humanmade). They also gave some really interesting background of the volcanic activity of the Katla Geopark. Not going to Vik? They just opened a Lava Show in Reykjavik!
A day-trip along the South Coast from Vik to Jokulsarlon: This was a trek, but it was so stunning if you want to see the mountains/volcanoes, glaciers, and all the cool things Iceland has to offer. We stopped at Fjalladaglufur (an awe-inspiring canyon) and diamond beach that flows from Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon where shiny, clear pieces of glacier break off and land on the beach before they head out to sea. It was crazy foggy that day and could barely see the lagoon from some of the viewpoints, so we’re just going to have to come back in the summer and take a rib boat ride.
Reykjavik and thereabouts
Perlan Museum: This was a great rainy day activity in RVK and goes even more into volcanoes and glaciers and all of Iceland’s wonders. While we did this at the tail end, I can see the value of doing this before going to the countryside. Admittedly, it did involve a whole lot of waiting in lines and for a rainy day it was very busy, so if it was a resplendent day, I’m not sure I would’ve wanted to be inside jostling amongst the crowds. But their rotating restaurant has incredible 360-views of the area and decent food, so there’s that.
All the Reykjavik pools. We tried out a couple, but our favorite was Vesturbæjarlaug Pool. We also splurged on the fancy schmancy Sky Lagoon one day (sans kid) and it was pretty worth it. We did stop at the Blue Lagoon before catching our flight home. While it was a nice way to relax before being on a plan for 7+ hours, it didn’t quite feel worth the price tag (also didn’t help it was wind-whipping sleety weather), but I’m glad we did it once.
Flyover Iceland: We didn’t do this, but my friend in Reykjavik recommended it and could be cool to get a birds-eye view of the incredible volcano-built landscape of the island.