Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2016, Blaðsíða 10

Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2016, Blaðsíða 10
The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 14 — 2016 10 We’re Quick & On-Time! BOOK YOUR AIRPORT TRANSFER NOW 497 8000 At your receptionwww.AirportDirect.is FREE WI-FI SHORTER TRANSFER TIMES SMALL GROUPS DIRECT TRANSFER SEAT GUARANTEED ROUNDTRIP: 7.990PRICE ISKONEWAY: 4.500 ISKPRICE The good news is, Iceland made in- ternational head- lines again. The bad news is, it’s because of Katla, the volcano (not the DJ). A couple of tremors were recorded near the volcano, which isn’t unusual by any stretch, but that didn’t stop international media from blasting headlines about Katla’s imminent eruption. The misreporting spread so far and wide that workers at the Icelandic Met Office have been inundated with calls from panick- ing would-be tourists asking if it’s safe to come visit. Rest assured, Iceland is as geologically safe as it ever was, and let the Met Office folks do their jobs in peace. We’ll tell you if a volcano is really and truly going to erupt any moment now. We know, because we live here. Speaking of Icelandic superstruc- tures spewing a lot of hot gas, the caretakers of Kaupthing bank decided in a closed-door meeting to award themselves a total of 1.5 billion ISK in bonuses. Unsur- prisingly, the general public has been none too pleased with the news, but even politicians hailing from bank-friendly parties have slammed the bonuses: Progressive Party MP Þorsteinn Sæmundssson, for example, proposed a whopping 90-98% tax on such bonuses, and Minister of Finance Bjarni Bene- diktsson seems to be warming up to the idea. It might not have any impact on the bonuses already given, but it’s a start, anyway. NEWS IN BRIEF With the recent news that seismic ac- tivity was recorded around the volca- no Katla, international media sources were quick to declare that a massive eruption was set to go off in Iceland any day now. While the truth is more complicated than that (short version: there aren’t any signs yet that Katla is ready to pop, but it is long overdue for a major eruption), we thought it might be a good idea to re-acquaint our read- ers with our major volcanoes, and rate them by various criteria. So without further ado, here are Iceland’s better known volcanoes. 5. Snæfellsjökull Location: Snæfellsnes, West Iceland Last erupted: Around 200 CE, give or take Pros: Reportedly the gateway to The Centre of the Earth; looks pretty cool even close up; is said to be a major “power centre” of ley-line energy, if you believe that sort of thing. Cons: Hasn’t erupted since way be- fore the Settlement; makes the area all around it a lot colder on account of the glacier; does not actually lead to the centre of the earth. HOT OR NOT: No eruption in over a millennium = ice cold. 4. Askja Location: Central Highlands Last erupted: 1961 Pros: Continues to quake and trem- ble in a threatening manner; the last eruption made some beautiful explo- sion craters, including a geothermal lake that is literally called Hell (“Víti”). Cons: Doesn’t look like a volcano so much as a meteorite impact site; en- tirely too inaccessible to curious hu- man explorers; geothermal lake does not actually lead to hell. HOT OR NOT: Gets points for style, but there’s not much backing it up. 3. Hekla Location: South Iceland Last erupted: 2000 Pros: Erupts about as often as you change socks; easily accessible to curi- ous human explorers; actually resem- bles a volcano in appearance. Cons: Bit sexist giving a volcano a woman’s name, isn’t it?; keeps taunt- ing us with the possibility of a new eruption; destroyed the forest that was once around the area. HOT OR NOT: With eruptions this frequent, it’s decidedly more than a little bit hot. 2. Eyjafjallajökull Location: Southeast Iceland Last erupted: 2010 Pros: Caused an international media shitstorm when it erupted last; in- spired an Icelandic Eurovision con- tender that should have made the cut; nearly impossible for foreigners to pronounce. Cons: Gave former president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson a reason to talk to the press; caused numerous hotel res- ervation and flight cancellations; in- spired the “I Hate Iceland Guy” meme. HOT OR NOT: Flash-in-the-pan fla- vour of the week but still commands star power. Very hot. 1. Katla Location: South Iceland Last erupted: 1918, although it may have contributed to glacial flooding in 2011 Pros: One of the most spectacularly powerful volcanoes in the country; has sent ash to Europe on many occasions; has gained mythic proportions as a symbol of complete destruction. Cons: Again, what’s with volcanoes being given women’s names?; could actually be very destructive when it erupts; continues to be guaranteed clickbait for alarmist reporting. HOT OR NOT: You just can’t compete with a legend. Hottest of them all. Words PAUL FONTAINE Share this article: GPV.IS/SPOCK NATURE Top 5 Volcanoes: Hot Or Not? Iceland’s Major Volcanoes, Rated Art Bicnick Matthew Eisman Not an actual volcano /CC An actual bank /CC Wikimedia Wikimedia
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