From Iceland — New Name For Holuhraun Pending ... Or Not

New Name For Holuhraun Pending … Or Not

Published August 28, 2015

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
norðurflug.is video still

This October, it will be decided whether or not the resulting lava field from the Holuhraun eruption will be given a new name. Last spring, a new name was to be chosen before summer began, but was delayed due to organisational issues.

RÚV reports that Skútustaðahreppur shire council, where the field is located, decided last Wednesday to assemble a special committee tasked with deciding whether or not to re-name the new lava field and, if so, how.

As reported, a new name for the lava field was to be decided by last April. However, there was a delay in putting together a name-place committee to take part in the current committee to re-name the lava field, leading to the tentative date for a decision to be pushed forward to October.

If the council does give the green light for naming suggestions, they might find there is no shortage of suggestions already put forward. As reported last September, informal polls on what to name the new lava field brought in numerous suggestions. Amongst them were:

Fjölmiðlahraun, or “media lava”, given the decidedly photogenic nature of the eruption from whence the lava sprung.

Míluhraun, after the ISP which provides a live feed of the eruption, Míla.

Góu Hraun and Hraun-Æði, both which are names of popular Icelandic candies.

The Grapevine also encourages our readers to offer their own suggestions, which may be forwarded to the aforementioned naming committee, if they decide the new lava field will be re-named, and that suggestions will be fielded from outside the shire.

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