Arianna Soldati: Why Iceland's lava is so hard to control

Why Iceland's lava is so hard to control

In December 2023, Icelandic citizens experienced their worst nightmare: a volcanic fissure opened and began spewing lava fountains 100 meters tall. While the molten rock narrowly avoided a small town, Iceland wasn’t willing to leave anyone's fate to chance again and began preparing for future eruptions. Arianna Soldati explores 3 potential strategies to control these red-hot rivers of destruction. [Directed by Anastasiia Falileieva, Studio Plastic Bag, narrated by Bethany Cutmore-Scott, music by Zakhar Bo]. 

Lava can surge at 1,200° Celsius, melting everything in its path, as seen when fountains 100 meters high threatened an Icelandic town. While bombs and brute force seldom work, history shows that water and earthen barriers can redirect or halt the slow-moving threat. Iceland and other regions now build elaborate defenses between eruptions, giving communities a vital edge. With improved prediction and creative engineering, people are learning to steer nature’s most relentless force.

Controlling Lava Flows Depends On Ingenuity, Not Just Force

Lava can reach 1,200° Celsius and destroy nearly everything in its path, yet people have found creative ways to slow or steer its advance. When a 2023 eruption in Iceland nearly engulfed Grindavik, officials built 25-meter-high barriers to shield the town from molten rock. History has seen attempts ranging from bombing lava flows to pumping millions of cubic meters of seawater, showing that quick thinking and adaptation matter. While predicting eruptions remains a challenge, proven strategies can protect communities from nature’s most spectacular threats.