As we wait to see if Hekla will blow her top in Iceland any day now, you might be interested to read the tale of a volcanic eruption from the other end of the earth...
Alexandra Pratt's 'The Day the Island Exploded' is the story of a young man's survival whilst working for the British Antarctic Survey in 1967. The young man in question is Graham Seear, Pratt's father-in-law, who was based at Deception Island in the South Shetlands when the island began to erupt.
To come face to face with an active volcano exuding poisonous gases, black ash falling like snow and ominous rumbling noises would be enough to get the adrenalin pumping in any situation; to encounter such a threat whilst trapped on a small island surrounded by the Southern Ocean, 2000km from the rest of the world, must have been terrifying. Fortunately Seear lived to share his adventures, and although the resulting book is aimed at children, it's still very informative and contains some fascinating photographs of the event.
For those of you who have travelled to, or are planning to travel to, the Antarctic Peninsula, you will be familiar with Deception Island as one of the popular landing sites for most Peninsula voyages. It is one of the only places in the world where ships can sail right into a restless volcanic caldera, and its geothermal activity is in evidence from the moment you set foot on its steaming beaches. At least the penguins keep their feet warm here!
Comments