Volcano! Surtsey and Heimaey

A fascinating extract from the ITV documentary "Savage Earth" first broadcast in the 1990s. Surtsey was the island born from an underwater volcanic eruption off the south coast of Iceland in 1963. Heimaey one of the Westmann islands, south of Iceland, whose inhabitants were awoken one night in 1973 to find its volcano had burst into life. The townsfolk fought the advancing lava with high pressure hoses and managed to turn it away from their harbour.
Fascinating shots of the eruption.

[@ronniejackson3788]

Such courageous people to battle this monster and rebuild their home! I served in the U.S. Navy in Keflavik '72 - '73 and assisted with a group shoveling lava ash from roof tops for 2 days. It was certainly a frightening event but so incredible to the response of the Icelandic people! God bless you all.

[@Glyndwr65]

Wow what a fascinating personal touch Ronnie. I remember following the eruption as a fascinated 7 year old in Wales! Last year I fulfilled a lifelong dream and visited Heimaey. It's a beautiful little town now on a stunning island and the volcano is still warm! I stood on the top of it and if you put your hand in a crevice it was very warm indeed!

[@KJHvanBeek]

I have seen this happening when I served as Radio Officer on board of the dutch tanker "nista" heading for Reykjavik.

[@JohnTLyon]

I passed over Surtsey in 1966 en route to London from Boston. It was still in partial eruption at the time and still spectacular!

[@jameschristopheroden5697]

one of the first volcanic islands eruptions that occurred that was man controlled after an eruption by a series of sea pumps that cooled magma and lava that threatened to enclose a fishing fleet in port there. The sea water pumps cooled and stopped a lava flow by cooling it to slow its movement to enclose the fishing fleet in port in the 1973 eruption.

[@gah-kaileung7075]

Please put the whole series up! I lost my VHS when I moved house and would love to be able to see it again properly.

[@Glyndwr65]

Sadly I don't have the whole series I'm afraid.

[@hannahaoyama]

I was set to watch this for homework XD

[@westpointar]

Wow. Cool I'm doing a report on Surtsey and this video is very helpful.

[@deddi12]

I live in Heimaey!

[@TheAdvancedMusic]

Ian Holm's voice = narration gold

[@ferguscraigable]

I want to know more about Surtsey

[@marianna094]

honestly, volcanic eruptions are such inconveniences

[@TheDarksmoke06]

Life always finds a way

[@podel.archive]

good video

[@robbiethomson1979]

That's just darn right rude:(! Mrs renwick read the comment

[@wildernesscoffee-naturalhigh]

‘No-one had ever fought a volcano and won’ - but on Heimaey they did ;-) A truly fascinating story. I've added a link to this video in my recent blog post about Eldfell (titled 'The walking track to Eldfell - the fiery mountain'), on wildernesscoffee-naturalhigh.

[@Glyndwr65]

I had the pleasure of visiting Heimaey myself for the first time this summer and listened to the story of one of the islanders who witnessed the whole event as a 14 year old boy. I also climbed to the summit of Eldfell and found it is still warm!

[@wildernesscoffee-naturalhigh]

Yes, there are several spots along the top ridge where hot air is stil emanating from below. When Eldfell has been snowed upon, you can see exactly where it's still warm ;-) Did you also visit the Eldheimar museum?

[@Glyndwr65]

@@wildernesscoffee-naturalhigh Yes we did. excellent museum very cleverly put together.

[@haroldsmith8698]

THE FAMILY LIVING IN A HOUSE. TO WAKE UP ONE MORNING TO FIND AS THEY LOOKED OUT IN THE BACK YARD TO FIND A FISSURE EMITTING LAVA THAT WAS FIFTY FEET IN THE AIR,.SOON THEIR HOUSE JUST EXPLODED. THIS WAS HEIMAEY ISLAND.THIS IS ONLY A VERY SMALL PART OF THE STORY. I SAY READ ON

[@arranrobinson7235]

this video has a lot of BIG BOOM!!!!!!!!!!

[@maeganapple]

"Until the next time" - yeah so let's just move back onto the island, rebuild everything, and then wait for it to erupt again

[@DagurRunolfsson]

atleast now we know how to properly fight it

[@gensericovandalo9184]

Documentary from National Geographic about the island Surtsey and its colonization by wildlife. Wed know is this documentary?

[@caramella4452]

Wow!

[@vibealive5]

earth creates, humans create

[@johndaveargayoso840]

Wow

[@Krakkhaus]

It's "Heimaey" not Haemay

[@jonathanbarrera5446]

cool

[@trapy3684]

Is this real???

[@sharp9563]

yes en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surtsey

[@KaiserStormTracking]

Surstey erupted for 3 years first being explosive but then later on erupting somewhat like Kilauea

[@vitakyo982]

The format of the video is not good

[@Glyndwr65]

It was copied from a VHS video recording of a programme broadcast nearly 25 years ago.

[@SlamGaming22]

what

[@oscarangulo9541]

Like si eres del Luis María Acuña

[@Snailbarf]

ICELAND WINS. FATALITY.

[@elisabethnilsen1961]

JALMAR BAE

[@adammurray9133]

hjhj

[@davidlafleche1142]

You'll notice this island did not take a billion trillion jillion years to form.

[@georgiakyle1988]

if your aim is to attack science, evolution and the formation of earth also notice that a magical sky daddy didn't snap his fingers and its suddenly there.

[@davidlafleche1142]

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1, KJV). If you can't get history right, you can't get science right.

[@georgiakyle1988]

David Lafleche There is no history in your statement just speculation from a book written by men of power in Alexandria to prey on the weak minded peasants. As a side note it only mentions heaven and earth so what about the other 7 planets in our solar system along with other planets outside of our solar system and the rest of our galaxy and the other numerous galaxies? Did he hand those contracts over to a third party for development?

[@davidlafleche1142]

The Alexandrian texts were not Biblical, but corruptions "edited" by stupid Greek philosophers. And what about the planets? So what if Genesis 1 doesn't mention the word?

[@georgiakyle1988]

David Lafleche Distant planets and galaxies are not mentioned because of people who wrote the bible not being aware of them. What makes the god in the bible so much more special than greek gods or gods other religions believe in? They are all a fabrication of men before science because they were not able to comprehend how things work and are created. I do hope one day that we will make contact with another species from a distant planet finally putting this god nonsense to rest since. However with the vastness of space its unlikely for some time. God and heaven were only created to help people cope with their mortality i however am fine with dieing and have nothing after and just being absorbed into the earth as nutrients. Its only when we limit our thinking to this planet that we are trapped in a notion that their is some divine creator rather than a random chance of events that lead to life and creation.

[@davidlafleche1142]

You'll notice that this island was built up in just a few days...NOT a billion, trillion, gajillion years. Thus, the Evolutionist religion is wrong.

[@davidlafleche1142]

Make up your mind, Gustav. It's one or the other!

[@NeidalRuekk]

David Lafleche Religion is outdated, plain and simple. There is no god. Surtsey took four years to form what it is today, and its sister islands were eroded away. You will also notice this is a tiny island, not a substantial landmass like Europe

[@davidlafleche1142]

"Yes have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 2:6, KJV). The cult of Evolutionism is outdated, not to mention doomed.

[@davidlafleche1142]

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7, KJV).

[@NeidalRuekk]

David Lafleche If you're trying to make out the bible to be a book of morals then don't even start.