Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

Geology in Björk’s soundscapes – from tectonic metaphors to emotional terrains

Guto Paiva-Silva July 16, 2026

Björk used the Fagradalsfjall eruption in August 2022 as the setting for the music video of ‘Sorrowful Soil’, a song about grief and the loss of her mother (Photo credit: Viðar Logi)

Iceland is pure geology. When I travelled there in 2015, it felt like stepping into another world: surreal, raw, and unforgettable. Geology wasn’t just something to observe or study: in Iceland, it’s something you inhabit. The landscape doesn’t just sit there, it feels alive. It hums, it shifts, it speaks. And whether you’re a geologist or not, you can’t help but listen. To make the experience eve ...[Read More]

Fagradalsfjall 2021 versus 2022: similarity and differences

Elisabetta Billotta October 19, 2022

Fagradalsfjall 2022. Photo by Emanuele Caruso

The Icelandic eruptions of 2021 and 2022 originated in the Reykjanes peninsula, characterized by the Krýsuvík-Trölladyngja system, one of the five volcanic systems present along the peninsula. This peninsula is a leaky transform fault, characterized by episodic rifts and associated volcanism. The last two years have brought about some of the most momentous volcanic eruptions in recent history. The ...[Read More]

The Volcano & the Ash cloud: Eyjafjallajökull eruption 11 years later

Niamh Faulkner April 7, 2021

In the foreground there is a farm with a backdrop of a volcano is emitting large amounts of ash into the air.

The Ash cloud billowing out of Eyjafjallajökull in southern Iceland, April 16th 2020 (Source Encylopedia Britanica, Brynjar Gauti/AP)

11 years on from the infamous eruption and ash cloud that shut down the European airspace, there are parallels between current travel restrictions and another Icelandic eruption that’s currently in the news. 11 years ago the now infamous eruption of Eyjafjallajökull occurred. I remember that one, the ash cloud, right? Yes, that’s the one. The one that was all over the news, with stunning images of ...[Read More]

Fire, Fog, Frost, Famine – French Revolution? The Lakagígar eruption in Iceland, 1783-1784 [Part 2]

Will Hutchison May 22, 2018

Lava fountains of the fissure eruption in Holuhraun, northeast of Bárðarbunga (Iceland) in 2014. The fountains are about 70-90 meters in height. Image credit: Joschenbacher

PART II: Were the Haze Hardships caused by Men? Famine Before the Lakagígar eruption, the population of Iceland was 48810 people; four years later, it was down to 38518. Disregarding about 1500 deaths which were caused by a smallpox epidemic, the eruption may still have killed about 1/6 of the population [5]. These deaths were not directly caused by the lava or by toxic gases. The main cause was h ...[Read More]