Rhian Meara's work in Geoscientist magazine

A cross posting from my Fieldnotes from Iceland blog which features Icelandic stories and details from my work there with Rayburn Tours.

I've featured Rhian Meara previously on the blog for her research work on Heimaey and the impacts of the eruption on the community that lived on the island and how they persist to the present day. 

She has now had an article published in the Geological Society of London's journal 'GeoScientist'.

In it Rhian reflects on her journey from geochemistry to social science research via the island of Heimaey, Iceland.

I liked this connection with her Welsh heritage, which emerged from her interviews:

A concept that arose repeatedly was one that epitomised people’s feelings and their need to return home following the evacuations in 1973 was that of “Heimþrá”, which translates as homesickness but means far more. In Welsh we have a similar term “Hiraeth”, which translates as a longing for home so deep that it physically hurts. We celebrated the connection of having our own words for a common shared experience and I think moments like this helped demonstrate my understanding and empathy.

This is a great read and will give you some fresh perspectives on the impacts of volcanic eruptions if you haven't already seen Rhian's work. Search the blog for more.