I’m delving into a fascinating and kind of scary possibility. Vík í Mýrdal is a small town in South Iceland that has become a popular place for tourists to stop to see the area’s famous black sand beach, to stay the night if they need accommodations, and so on.
However, most visitors don’t know about the potential danger that looms over this town of just over 800 residents. Katla volcano, which is about 26 kilometers or 16 miles from the town, poses a threat not only to the town if it erupts but it also could have a larger impact on the world.
The Lava Show in Vík í Mýrdal and Reykjavík
Before I jump into that, I’d like to thank The Lava Show for sponsoring this episode. During this incredible experience you can witness actual molten hot lava flow into the showroom where you are sitting. I have been to the show twice, specifically The Lava Show in Vík but they now also have a show in Reykjavík too.
While I have been fortunate to see lava from a volcanic eruption a decent amount of times due to the last two eruptions in Iceland, I was still blown away at how cool it is to see man made lava at the Lava Show. Of course, there is more to this show than just lava. For instance, at the Lava Show in Vík, you get shown a fascinating and informative video about about eruptions along the south coast, including Katla. I don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say that the eruptions in this area, including Eyjafjallajökull and Katla, have definitely made their mark in history.
Why The Lava Show is Unique
What‘s even more interesting to me is that the great grandfather of one of the owners of The Lava Show lived in the Vík area during the last eruption of Katla volcano. It is intense what he and his family went through to survive it and they provide insight into that during the show.
Along with seeing the glowing orangey red lava flowing, you feel the heat rise in the room and can hear the crackling sounds of the lava as it cools. The presenters of the show safely show everyone different aspects of how the lava performs, such as if you were to add ice to it or how malleable it is when super hot. This is an activity for all ages. For both locations the Lava Show had to make a special furnace that can heat up the rocks high enough to make the lava.
For an additional price, you can get the behind the scenes expereince to see the furnace and learn more about Icelandic geology.What is unique about the Lava Show in Vík and the one in Reykjavík is that each show is catered to talk about the volcanoes of the area they are in, including the potential dangers the eruptions in these areas can pose. For those that are unaware, Vík is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Reykjavík.
If you want a unique and fun experience in Iceland, I highly recommend checking out the Lava Show in Vík and/or in Reykjavík. I will have a link to the experience in the show notes of this episode at allthingsiceland.com/katla-volcano-eruption
How Katla Volcano Got Its Name
The folklore as to how Katla volcano got its name might give you some insight on why people see an eruption of it as one to cause concern. Legend has it that on a monastery in south Iceland lived a housekeeper named Katla. She was described as a bad-tempered woman and there was even a rumor that she was a witch. Apparently, she owned a pair of magical pants or underwear. If someone were to wear these pants they could run as fast as the wind and never get tired.
Due to her bad temper many people feared Katla and did their best to stay away from her. Even the head of the monastery was said to keep his distance. There was also a shepherd named Barði that lived on the monastery. Unfortunately for him, he had to endure the brunt of Katla’s rage if any sheep went missing.
One fateful day, Katla and the head of the monastery went off to visit someone but planned to be back that same evening. Before leaving Katla told Barði to round up the sheep while she and the abbott were gone because she wanted to milk them when she returned. Barði went about collecting the sheep but they were nowhere to be found. In a panic, he made the split secon decision of using Katla‘s magical pants to find the sheep as quickly as possible. They worked splendidly and he was able to get all the sheep in the pen before Katla returned.
When Katla returned to the monastery, she knew at once that Barði had used her magical pants and this threw her into an unprecedented rage. She was so angry that she grabbed him and drowned him in the vat of whey near the entrance of the monastery. Due to the large amount of whey, his body sank to the bottom of the vat. People wondered what had happened to him but no one had a clue. As time went on and the whey was being used, Katla worried that people would find the body. Yes, you heard that right. Katla was letting people use the whey even though she knew there was a dead body in the bottom of the vat. It didn’t help that some people claimed to hear her say to herself that “soon Barði will appear”.
It started to weigh on Katla that people would find out about her terrible secret, so she put on her magical pants and fled to Mýrdal glacier where she threw herself in a canyon there. That canyon is now known as Katla canyon, which is the volcano. Soon after she did this, an enormous flood gushed out and flooded south Iceland.
Jumping into a crack in the ice, Katla the witch wormed her way below, discovering a dormant volcano beneath the glacier. Searching for the entrance, she finally found her way inside, burrowing her way into the volcano. Shortly after there was a huge eruption, causing a tidal wave glacial flood all over the south coast of Iceland, destroying everything in its path.
This is just one Icelandic folklore story out of the many fascinating ones that exist.
Why Is an Eruption of Katla Volcano Cause for Concern?
The story of how Katla volcano got its name gives you some insight into why an eruption can be so catastrophic. Katla is a subglacial volcano located under Iceland’s fourth largest ice cap Mýrdalsjökull glacier. It is also oneof the largest volcanos in Iceland.
There are twenty documented eruptions of the Katla between 930 and 1918. These eruptions have happened at intervals of 20 to 90 years. While there have been small eruptions that didn’t break the ice in 1955, 1999 and 2011, it has not been over 100 years since it last had a major eruption. This is what leads people to believe that it is overdue for abig one.
Previous eruptions of Katla have had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of between 4 to 6 on a scaleof 0 to 8. For reference, the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in 2010 that shut down air traffic in Europe and North America had a VEI of 4. An example of a VEI 5 eruption is comparable to Mount Saint Helens eruption in 1980.
Without even erupting, it has been found that Katla volcano contributes up to 4% of the global emissions from non-eruption volcanoes. So this volcano already has a global impact before it even spews lava out of it.
The Impact of an Eruption of Katla Volcano on Iceland and the World
With just that bit of information, I‘m sure that the potential impact of this volcano erupting could be major. In Iceland, the consequences could be an incredible flood that is comparable to the combined, yes I said combined, average discharge of the Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, and rivers (about 266,000 m3/s (9.4 million cu ft/sec)! The flood from Katla could be between 200,000–400,000 m3/s (7.1–14.1 million cu ft/sec).
This is because the molten lava underneath the glacier would melt all of the ice sitting on top of it. The tiny town of Vík sits directly in the path of the flood. While measures have been put in place to divert the water away from the town, it is still possible for the town to be wiped out within minutes.
That is why the there is an evacuation plan in Vík. Residents and guests have 15 minutes to evacuate in the event of an eruption. Residents keep an evacuation bag packed and there are even signs they need to put in their windows to let rescue workers know they have evacuated so they don`t spend time trying to find people in houses that are empty.
The Danger of Sub-glacial Volcanoes
Earlier I mentioned Eyjafjallajökull‘s eruption in 2010, that caused over a one billion in loses for the airline industry due to flight cancellations. Like Eyjafjallajökull, an eruption of Katla is hazardous because the mix of water and fire from the volcano can create an immense amount of ash.
So much ash that flying might be deemed impossible for sometime if the wind is pushing the ash in the direction of flight paths for Europe and North America. None of this is certain but there is a high probablity of it happening given the right conditions. Additionally, air quality in Iceland and possibly other places in the world could be impacted.
While this is not meant to scare anyone, I think it is good to make people aware of the interesting circumstances Icelanders have grown up with and what I have learnd to accept as a resident of this island nation. It also helps me to appreciate being able to see these places. Iceland has been formed due to volcanic eruptions, so I try to remind myself that out of the destruction eventually there is beauty and amazing newly formed landscapes.
Before jumping into the last two segments of the episode, I’d like to once again thank the Lava Show for sponsoring. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you decide to check out this unique experience in Reykjavík or Vík.
Where to Find more Information About Volcanoes in Iceland
Here are two Facebook groups that have frequent updates about volcanic activity happening in Iceland.
Random Fact of the Episode
There is an Icelandic series called Katla on Netflix. It was filmed in the town of Vík and it‘s a mystery drama that centers on the aftermath following an eruption of Katla volcano. It‘s an interesting series that will has many twists and turns. I recommend checking it out.
Icelandic Word of the Episode
Flóð – flood
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