When the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland began to erupt in 2021, experts banded together to create defensive barriers with dirt to protect civilians in the surrounding areas.
Crews from the Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management worked around the clock to build barriers to curtail the lava flow. A field study, led by Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Professor Fjola Gudrun Sigtryggsdottir, analyzed how effective these prevention methods were and if they could be used in the future.
“The main lesson we learned from that field experiment was that it is possible to control lava flows – to some extent. And it is certainly worth trying when it comes to protecting civil society and critical infrastructure,” said Sigtryggsdottir in a press release.
