National Geographic: Born of Fire Page #3

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"Now the flows that were what

earlier this year, are down there?"

"Yes. And you can see the steam

defining the fissure

that's been erupting during the

last five years

and the black lava flows that have

been coming out."

"So if, let's say, there were another

eruption right along the caldera

where we see the fissure opening up

the lava could just come down

this valley

and go right around the corner

to the power plant."

Icelanders invested in the

costly geothermal power plant

because the field had lain dormant

for over two hundred years

Begun in 1975 as an alternative

to a hydroelectric dam

the plant was almost immediately

threatened

by a series of violent eruptions

that brought the lava flow within

a mile and a half

Trying to discern a possible

pattern in the Krafla volcanic activity

scientists keep watch on the plant

and the surrounding area

for ominous signs

Here one of the monitoring

team checks

for any ground tilt

which could unbalance

and destroy the turbines

In a field near the plant

he checks daily

for signs of subterranean activity

measures any possible change

in the gap

between two pipes planted on opposite

sides of a fissure

Like a serpent's back rising

above the sea

the steaming crest of the Mid-Ocean

Ridge stretches across Iceland

Here Ballard and Sigurdsson visit

the site of the recent lava

flow that is still cooling

"We're in the fissure that erupted

six months ago."

"So everything we are walking on

is less than six months in age?"

"That's right. And it's still

cooling off here

That's why it's still like a sauna bath."

"It's about as fresh as you can get

short of having it red."

"Yes. Let's take a look around here."

"Now, if you can sit without

cutting your pants

It's even warm

Now, I understand that when the

eruption began to take place

a tourist from Denmark

was standing right

where the fissure opened up and was..."

"Quite close to the area

where the crust split

and rifted apart and the

lava started to squirt up."

"So he just took off."

"Actually, I understand the lava

was moving quite rapidly here."

"How fast?"

"Up to ten meters per second."

"So you'd have to be a... Let's see

the world's record for

the 100-yard dash is..."

"9.8."

"So it's running about as fast as

the world's record

Hope the Dane was a fast runner."

"He was. He got away. So far there

have been no casualties."

"Before this took place

this area had been quiet for a long

long time

This is why they thought it was safe

to build the power plant."

"This area has been without volcanic

activity for about 250 years

And therefore, there was

the general feeling

that there wasn't an imminent danger

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