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Who is faster, the force of nature or man with his technology? On Thursday, Icelanders tried to use excavators to build a dam to stop a new flow of lava. The night before, a new fissure had opened on the Reykjanes Peninsula and thrown the earth's liquid core up to 80 meters into the air. It was the third eruption of the same volcano since December last year. Residents of the nearby fishing town of Grindavik were evacuated in November - and now have to prepare for further outbreaks.
Kristin Maria Birgisdottir, resident of Grindavik:
»There are people who will never return, including my parents. You just bought a house somewhere else. Now we've had five eruptions in about three years. And these two were very, very close to the city. So we ask ourselves: When and where will the volcano erupt again?"
The largest anti-lava dams are around 40 meters wide and up to ten meters high. In addition to residential buildings, the Icelanders want to protect the important Svartsengi geothermal power plant near the capital Reykjavik from the forces of nature. The barriers are intended to redirect the lava rather than stop it, otherwise it would build up and flow over the obstacles.
Vidir Reynisson, Civil Defense:
»During the eruption on January 14th, the barriers we built around the city of Grindavik diverted the lava away from the city. So most of the lava didn't touch the city at all. But part of the fissure opened on the other side of the barrier, and lava flowed into the city, destroying three houses. At least we have seen that the barriers work. Now we know more about how to build and use them.«
Further measures: The Office for Civil Protection is digging hot water pipes deeper into the ground and raising power and telecommunications lines higher. Volcanic activity is both a blessing and a curse: Iceland benefits greatly from geothermal energy. And from the tourists who come precisely because of the natural spectacles.