Iceland Monitor | mbl | 22.8.2014 | 13:34 | Uppfært 17:05

Photos from past eruptions

Sheep and lambs near the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010. Júlíus Sigurjónsson

Iceland has seen its share of eruptions, so the seismic activity at Bárðarbunga reminds Icelanders of what an eruption might mean for the people of the area around it. Seismic activity continues, but there are no signs of an eruption.

Photographers from mbl.is have been on site for almost all of them. Here are some photos from past eruptions.

From the Eyjafjallajökull eruption. Rax / Ragnar Axelsson

The front page of Morgunblaðið the day after the eruption at Heimaey started on January 23rd 1973. A third of the island town of Vestmannaeyjar was engulfed by lava. Dispite that, only one person died. The stream of lava almost closed off the harbor of the town, which would have been it's end. The people of Vestmannaeyjar, refusing to surrender to the forces of nature, pumped seawater onto the oncoming lava, slowing and eventually stopping it before it was too late.

The ash fallout made day seem like night during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. This photo is taken around 14:00, 2pm. Rax / Ragnar Axelsson

Ash fallout from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. Rax / Ragnar Axelsson

Þorvaldseyri farm. The area around the houses is usually green. Ash fallout from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption made the area look like this. Rax / Ragnar Axelsson

Daylight breaking through during the Eyjafjallajökull 2010 eruption ash fallout. Scientist can be seen as silhouettes. Rax / Ragnar Axelsson

Eruption in Fimmvörðuháls, near Eyjafjallajökull Rax / Ragnar Axelsson

Eruption in Fimmvörðuháls. RAX / Ragnar Axelsson

Lavastream in Fimmvörðuháls. Rax / Ragnar Axelsson

Guðný with one of her lambs. She quit trying to keep her farmhouse at Hvoli in Fljótshverfi clean during the eruption in Grímsvötn. The ash fallout means everything is covered with a thin, grey veil. "The only place I try to keep clean is the kitchen," she said. Eggert Jóhannesson

Farmer Sigurjóna Matthíasdóttir, covered in ash after rounding up her sheep. A thick layer of ash covered Kirkjubæjarklaustur. People stayed indoors and many people with children left the area South of Vatnajökull. Eggert Jóhannesson

Rescue workers near Kirkjubæjarklaustur in 2011. Iceland does not have any form of national guard to respond to a crisis like eruptions or avalanches, but relies on volunteers. A very large number of Icelanders volunteer for these so called Björgunar- or Hjálparsveitir, ready to respond in the middle of the night or during work hours with only a moments notice. Ernir Eyjólfsson