Excavation in Vestmaneyjar lava field reveals intact houses

Morgunblaðið and Iceland State Radio, RÚV, report of an excavation on the main island of Vestmaneyjar that has revealed a remarkably intact house buried under lava and ash in the eruption of 1973. After over three decades under volcanic rubble, the frame of the concrete structure at Suðurgata 25 is still standing; the paint has barely peeled from the walls. A part of a project called “Pompei of the North”, the excavation will attempt to recover some of the houses that were submerged during the course of the eruption. As soon as the first house at Suðurgata has been cleared, the workers will proceed excavating down the street and further into the lava field.