Eagerly Waiting for Lava Flow to Provide Answers

An ditch has been dug in Nátthagi valley, near the Fagradalsfjall eruption site, Southwest Iceland, where pipes and various insulation and filling materials have been installed with the aim of assessing the impact lava flow will have on such installations. This was announced by the electric utility company Landsnet, mbl.is reports.

In addition to Landsnet, participants in the project are the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, the University of Iceland Institute of Earth Sciences, the Icelandic Met Office, the National Power Company of Iceland, and others.

“The temperature in the ditch will be monitored and [the ditch] will be filled up,” the statement reads. “Then, we will eagerly wait for lava to flow across the ditch. Should this experiment prove successful, our hope is to collect data, presumably unique worldwide and an essential contribution to our knowledge of the effect of lava flow on cables and other infrastructur installed underground.