So you found Eyjafjallajökull difficult to present? Well, if this new eruption goes off – which seems quite likely at the moment – then the technical name would be the Sundhnjúkagígaröð in Þráinsskjaldarhraun. Dizziness? We understand. But just think about how everyone on the BBC feels in a few days.
But it is but here. Reykjanes is a collection of five volcanic systems, so if you, for example, say that it is a volcano in Krýsuvík, then it would refer to a certain area where a town of 30,000 people is in danger. But if you say that there is a volcano in Reykjanes, then an Icelander would ask, what part? It’s like saying there’s a volcano in California when you mean’s a volcano in San Francisco.
The seismic activity is now close to Fagradalsfjall, a small volcanic system that has not erupted in 6,000 years. That said, it is also possible that the fissure volcano will erupt from the ‘Sundhnjúkar crater series in Svartsengi’, which is closest to Fagradalsfjall. And do not despair if you feel like you are having a stroke while reading this. It is a difficult verdict for even Icelanders to take in.
The truth is, however, that no one really intends to call the volcano ‘Sundhnjúkagígaröðin’ because it is merely the technical name of the underground system. But does that mean we’re out of the woods? No. Þráinsskjaldarhraun lava is where the eruption will most likely occur, if and when it occurs. So the correct term for the volcano would actually be Þráinsskjaldarhraun. Now you could also add that it erupted near Fagradalsfjall. But that does not sound much easier, does it?
So Þráinsskjaldarhraun – what does this endless 20 letter word even mean? Well, it’s complicated. Þráinn is a name. A shield is a shield. And lava means lava. What was the name of the area? No idea. Probably some story thing.
On the other hand, if the volcano starts, it will be absolutely hilarious for Icelanders – and the rest of the world – to listen to journalists try to pronounce this name: Þráinsskjaldarhraun. God bless.
All of a sudden Eyjafjallajökull doesn’t sound so bad, does it?
Source: The Nordic Page