Lava Dam Engineering in Iceland

A lecture from the North of England Institute for Mining and Mechanical Engineers. In-person at Neville Hall and streamed online.
About this Event

The latest phase of volcanic activity Reykjanes Peninsula since the eruptions of 1210-1240 began in 2021 with the eruptions at Fagradalsfjall followed by the eruptions at Sundhnúkur that threatened the town of Grindavík. The Reykjanes Peninsula is home to infrastructure connecting Reykjavik and other settlements with the largest airport in Iceland as well as harbour and geothermal energy infrastructure, with the pattern of volcanism suggesting a prolonged episode on the peninsula.

In response to the eruptions civil engineers raced to build retaining embankments in order to slow and direct the lava flows away from key settlements and infrastructure. Find out more about the construction work and longer-term plans for the area from the engineer at the forefront of the planning.

Ari Guđmundsson is division manager at Icelandic engineering company Verkís, and is in charge of coordinating the construction works for lava dams on the Reykjanes Peninsula during the recent eruptions.

17:30-18:00 - Tea and Coffee

18:00-18:50 – Live-streamed talk starts

18:50 to 19:00 - Q & A

Welcome to our NEIMME Lecture. NEIMME is the Royal Chartered membership organisation for Engineering, Science and Technology in the North.

For more information about our events and the benefits of NEIMME membership see: https://mininginstitute.org.uk/membership/

For information on IOM3 membership see: https://www.iom3.org/