Magmatic Memories: Eldfell, 1973

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Rhian Hedd Meara
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2583-3880
Arnar Árnason
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0806-7560
Osian Harri Elias
Helga Hallbergsdóttir
Sigurjón B Hafsteinsson
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4208-0144

Abstract

2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Eldfell eruption on the island of Heimaey, Iceland. The eruption began unexpectedly at 1:50 a.m. on the 23rd of January 1973, creating a need to evacuate all 5300 residents to the Icelandic mainland by fishing fleet. The eruption is synonymous with the islanders’ fight to save their town by spraying cold seawater onto the advancing lava flows. Previous research has focussed on the physical volcanology and igneous petrology of the eruption and the wider Vestmannaeyjar Volcanic System; however, very little research has focussed on the social impacts of the eruption. Fieldwork identified how the 1973 eruption is remembered and commemorated by the residents of Heimaey both in public and private settings. Over 50 memorials are discussed, including artworks, sculptures, museum exhibitions, in-person events, and online digital repositories that highlight connections to the eruption itself and to life before the eruption. Interviews and surveys with the local community draw attention to the ongoing impacts of the eruption—for example, traumatic responses to hazard events such as the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. A predominantly positive community narrative of the event has persisted for several decades. The narrative depends on the belief that no deaths were caused by the eruption, the successful rebuilding and recovery of the town, and the resilience of the residents. The last ten years, however, have seen a change in how the community discuss their experiences of the eruption, with a new focus on the loneliness, bullying, isolation, danger, and trauma experienced during the event.


Ágrip

Árið 2023 voru 50 ár liðin frá Eldfellsgosinu 1973 á Heimaey. Eldgosið hófst óvænt klukkan 01.50 þann 23. janúar 1973 og þurfti að flytja 5.300 íbúana til Íslands með fiskiskipaflota. Eldgosið er samheiti við baráttu eyjarskeggja við að bjarga bænum sínum með því að úða köldum sjó á hraunið. Fyrri rannsóknir hafa beinst að eðlisfræðilegri eldfjallafræði og bergfræði gossins og víðara eldfjallakerfi Vestmannaeyja, hins vegar hafa mjög litlar rannsóknir beinst að félagslegum áhrifum gossins. Vettvangsvinna leiddi í ljós hvernig eldgosið 1973 er minnst og minnst af íbúum Heimaeyjar bæði í opinberu umhverfi og einkaumhverfi. Fjallað er um yfir 50 minnisvarða, þar á meðal listaverk, skúlptúra, safnsýningar, persónulega viðburði og stafrænar geymslur á netinu sem draga fram tengingar við eldgosið sjálft og lífið fyrir gos. Í viðtölum og könnunum við nærsamfélagið er vakin athygli á viðvarandi áhrifum eldgossins, til dæmis áfallaviðbrögðum við hættulegum atburðum nútímans eins og Eyjafjallajökulsgosinu 2010. Aðallega jákvæð samfélagsfrásögn af atburðinum hefur verið viðvarandi í nokkra áratugi. Frásögnin byggist á þeirri trú að engin dauðsföll hafi orðið af völdum eldgossins, árangursríkri endurreisn og endurheimt bæjarins og seiglu íbúanna. Síðustu tíu ár hafa hins vegar orðið róttækar breytingar á því hvernig samfélagið fjallar um upplifun sína af eldgosinu, með nýrri áherslu á einmanaleika, einelti, einangrun, hættu og áföll sem urðu fyrir atburðinum.

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How to Cite
Meara, R., Árnason, A., Elias, O., Hallbergsdóttir, H. and Hafsteinsson, S. (2024) “Magmatic Memories: Eldfell, 1973”, Volcanica, 7(1), pp. 361–403. doi: 10.30909/vol.07.01.361403.
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Articles
Author Biographies

Rhian Hedd Meara, Geography Department, Swansea University, SA1 8PP, UK.

Senior Lecturer in Geography

Geography Department

Swansea University 

Arnar Árnason, School of Social Science, University of Aberdeen, UK.

Senior Lecturer in Anthropology

The School of Social Science

University of Aberdeen

Osian Harri Elias, Geography Department, Swansea University, SA1 8PP, UK.

Lecturer in Human Geography

Department of Geography 

Swansea University

Helga Hallbergsdóttir, Eldheimar Museum, Gerðisbraut 10, 900 Vestmannaeyjabær, Iceland.

Eldheimar Museum

Heimaey

Iceland

Sigurjón B Hafsteinsson, Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics, University of Iceland, Iceland.

Professor in Museum Studies

Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics

Iceland University

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Dates
Received 2023-01-17
Accepted 2024-05-20
Published 2024-06-19
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