The Eyjafjallajökull volcano burst into life on March 20th 2010. A 0,5-km-long fissure opened up at the northeastern flank of the volcano, on the ice-free mountain ridge of Fimmvörðuháls.
On March 24th, scoria and lava erupted four vents. The basalt lava flowed into nearby canyons, creating spectacular lava falls. Eruptions are known to have occurred in Eyjafjallajökull in 920, 1612 and 1821-1823. on April 7th the absolute height of the main crater, then inactive, was 82 m. A newer and active fissure contained a few lower crater hills. By April 12th, this phase of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption was over. The lava flow covered an area of 2.0 square kilometers. At 1:15 a.m. on April 14th, Eyjafjallajökull burst open once more. This time, the volcanic fissure cut through the glaciated top crater. The main initial meltwater flood reached the snout of a northern icefall the same day. Dark clouds of ash and steam rose high above the mountain and were partly carried to mainland Europe. Some 100,000 flights were cancelled during the coming week.
The eruption was classified as almost a medium-sized event. The ash production lessened and lava flowed in a tunnel in the glacier ice. The ash-fall affected about 1% of Iceland; an area north, east and south of the volcano. On May 5th and 6th, the ash production increased again, and the eruption plume reached 8-9 kilometers in the air. After this, the eruption slowly abated until it came to an uncertain end on May 24th. At the time of publishing this book Iceland on Fire, more quiet weeks or even months need to pass before geoscientists declare the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull as ended.
Vilhelm Gunnarsson has worked as a photographer for the “Fréttablaðið” newspaper since 2003 and has witnessed and shot many historical events in Iceland, though none have affected him as strongly as the Eyjafjallajökull eruption. In this book his photos present a dramatic and startling look at the events of spring 2010. Vilhelm specializes in journalistic and landscape photographs and his pictures have been published in newspapers, magazines and on TV all over the world. He has participated in numerous photo exhibitions and received much acclaim for his work. Along with his job at “Fréttablaðið”, Vilhelm runs the publishing company VG Pictures, which produces postcards and calendars. Iceland on Fire is his first book. To view more of Vilhelm's work, go to www.vilhelmg.com
