Volcano Stories — Season 1, Episode 4: Westman Islands - The Volcanic Guardians of Iceland
Documentary • 26 min • 2 seasons, 35 episodes
Episode synopsis
Lost in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Westman Islands located off the coast of Iceland seem to be on guard duty. In this isolated archipelago, men and women of strong character have learned to live with this intense Icelandic volcanic activity, sometimes risking their lives ... In 1973, the inhabitants of Heimaey had to be evacuated when a powerful eruption destroyed half of the city. Gerture had to abandon her house. She reminisces with emotion ... To access these steep islands, the islanders have adapted with tremendous ingenuity, using a zip line to hoist their sheep from a frail boat onto the green volcanic island. Further away, Surtsey Island emerged from the waves only 50 years ago, after a violent volcanic eruption, and has become a real laboratory for naturalists!
About Volcano Stories
No two volcanoes are alike; each one has its own distinctive landscape, climate, and geological context. Just as unique are the people we meet along the way who help us comprehend how greatly our planet – and our lives – have been shaped by volcanic phenomena. For the scientific aspect of each episode, we explore the very diverse range of questions raised by volcanic phenomena in such varied fields as earth sciences, climatology, biodiversity, oceanography, geography, agronomics, and archaeology. The cultural part of the show delves into mythology, religion, philosophy, folk and artistic traditions, cooking, and ways of life.
More episodes from Season 1
- E1Etna: The Mountain Mountain
- E2Bromo - The Sacred Volcano of Java
- E3Tanzania - A Volcano on Maasai Territory
- E5Unzen - Man Versus Giant
- E6Hawaii - The Lava of Kilauea
- E7Kawah Ijen: The Hell of Sulfur
- E8Auvergne: The Mysteries of Its Sleeping Giants
- E9Ecuador - Beneath the Cotopaxi Glacier
- E10Naples: A Volcano Can Hide Another
- E11Aeolian Islands - From Hell to Paradise
- E12New Zealand: Human Treasures
- E13Reunion Island: in the Heart of the Volcanoe