Iceland’s Lava Barriers Save Town From Disaster After Eruption
This article is for subscribers only.
As Icelanders woke up to the latest volcanic eruption on the fiery North Atlantic island, they feared lava would engulf a coastal town home to 1% of the population.
Instead, just three houses succumbed to the molten rock, largely thanks to an earth barrier under construction to shield the habitations. Just two kilometers (1.2 miles) of barrier had been completed when the eruption began on Sunday morning, with lava initially flowing from a crack in the ground that crossed through the rampart.