Plans to drill a tunnel into the empty magma chamber of Þríhnjúkagígur volcano edge closer to reality
By Staff |Nov 24 2015
Plans to make the magnificent magma chamber of Þríhnjúkagígur volcano more accessible for the general public are moving forward. According to Björn Ólafsson, who has organised tours into the volcano, the construction of the ambitious project could begin in 2017.
Þríhnjúkagígur is a 4,000-year-old volcano by the mountain range Bláfjöll, close to Reykjavík. What makes this volcano so highly unusual is its empty magma chamber.
After an eruption the magma chamber of a volcano usually fills up and is sealed with hard cold lava. However, that did not happen at Þríhnjúkagígur, which not only make its magma chamber so spectacular, but also opens up the possibility to explore the heart of the volcano from the inside.
That trip was completely out of reach for all but the most seasoned mountain climbers and daredevils until 2012 when a specialised lift was installed to lower travellers into the crater.
Read more: Travel with a lift deep inside the empty magma chamber of a volcano
The guided tour, run by Björn's company 3H Travel, has become a huge hit, but only for those who could both fork out the steep 42.000 ISK price ( EUR 300, USD 320) and hike 3 km (1.9 mi) to the crater's opening. Adding to that the tours frequently sold out due to the limited supply. It's not a simple task to lower people 120 meters (394 ft) from the small surface opening, through a narrow bottle-neck and to the bottom of the beautiful dome.
The new entrance The picture is from the proposal of companies Gagarin, Batteriid Architects and Landslag which formed a design group which shared the first prize in a design competition for the project.
This is bound to change if 3HT's plans go through. The company wants to construct a road to the roots of the volcano where a parking lot will be made, and drill a 330-meter long tunnel into the crater. Access to the tunnel will be through a reception house that will be built into a lava wall so that it won't stand out in the landscape.
The tunnel would lead to a small balcony serving as the main viewing area inside the crater. For those who can handle the climb, a long, steep staircase will go from the balcony to a small space at the bottom of the crater.
The tunnel hole will be one thousandth of the crater's wall space.
The owners of 3HT believe it has the potential to become as big an attraction as the Blue Lagoon, which is Iceland's top tourist destination along with the Geysir and Gullfoss waterfall on the Golden Circle.
The crater is now only open from 15 May to 30 September but will be open throughout the year if the tunnel protject receives a green light.
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