Heimay to Surtsey
National Geographic Endeavour sailed to the southernmost point of Iceland along the Westmann Islands. Here the seafloor is torn asunder along the Atlantic Ridge, producing voluminous quantities of lava. Enough lava to build mountains of new land rising above the seas in steaming lightening rich clouds of ash and pumice, and then fluid lavas draping on it all.
We had prepped the evening before by watching spectacular video clips of the 1973 eruption of Heimay. This occurred on an island occupied by a fishing village of 5300 people. Early in the morning the ground broke open and suddenly ash and pumice and lava threatened the town and its harbor. We made our way slowly into the dramatic harbor guided by a pilot boat. Then we boarded buses and drove round the island visiting vantage points that offered a deep understanding of the development of that volcanic event. We saw the lava vents, the flows, the volcanic bombs and the buried quarter of the town. And we heard the story from our local guide of how the village had safely evacuated all its residents . And then saving its harbor by pumping water onto the advancing lava flow and redirecting it to less threatening areas.
We then sailed to Surtsey. Surtsey was volcanically born in 1963, rising hundreds of feet above sea level. Our captain got us an ever so special view of the cliffs made of lava and tuff. These cliffs were the home of many seabirds. Beyond the cliff face it seemed that plant life had well taken hold of this new island. But we could see by comparing photos with our day’s observations that the island was eroding away, in fact already half of its original size.
As we sailed north, a pod of humpback whales was spotted. They allowed us to get quite close. And many of us were able to get excellent fluke photos that are being sent to a local whale research project.
National Geographic Endeavour sailed to the southernmost point of Iceland along the Westmann Islands. Here the seafloor is torn asunder along the Atlantic Ridge, producing voluminous quantities of lava. Enough lava to build mountains of new land rising above the seas in steaming lightening rich clouds of ash and pumice, and then fluid lavas draping on it all.
We had prepped the evening before by watching spectacular video clips of the 1973 eruption of Heimay. This occurred on an island occupied by a fishing village of 5300 people. Early in the morning the ground broke open and suddenly ash and pumice and lava threatened the town and its harbor. We made our way slowly into the dramatic harbor guided by a pilot boat. Then we boarded buses and drove round the island visiting vantage points that offered a deep understanding of the development of that volcanic event. We saw the lava vents, the flows, the volcanic bombs and the buried quarter of the town. And we heard the story from our local guide of how the village had safely evacuated all its residents . And then saving its harbor by pumping water onto the advancing lava flow and redirecting it to less threatening areas.
We then sailed to Surtsey. Surtsey was volcanically born in 1963, rising hundreds of feet above sea level. Our captain got us an ever so special view of the cliffs made of lava and tuff. These cliffs were the home of many seabirds. Beyond the cliff face it seemed that plant life had well taken hold of this new island. But we could see by comparing photos with our day’s observations that the island was eroding away, in fact already half of its original size.
As we sailed north, a pod of humpback whales was spotted. They allowed us to get quite close. And many of us were able to get excellent fluke photos that are being sent to a local whale research project.
