The Story

The idea of making Þríhnúkagígur volcano accessible came from Árni B. Stefánsson, a doctor in Reykjavík and a lifelong cave enthusiast. He has been studying caves in Iceland since 1954 and it’s easy to argue that nobody in Iceland has explored as many caves as Árni.

Þríhnúkagígur has always been very special to Árni. He was the first to descend down to the ground floor, in 1974, and, like most people that experience it, he was spellbound by its beauty and uniqueness. Ever since he has pleaded the case for protecting and preserving this phenomenon. But how should that be done?

Árni insists that the preservation of caves and volcanic vaults is not about leaving them be. It’s rather about making sure that natural wonders like Þríhnúkagígur are treated with care and respect – and made accessible in the right way. Árni has a very clear vision of what approach should be used in the project:

“In my opinion, a moderate approach – an approach that really demands all our ingenuity, resourcefulness and modesty, is the only way to tackle a grand natural wonder like Þríhnúkagígur. Sensitive nature neither defends nor protects itself. We must treat with care and wisdom what we have been entrusted with. Enlightened humility and modesty is the only way towards a real success. Sustainable development, environmental consciousness, green thinking and modesty are all prerequisites of how to approach the subject.“

Árni has written many articles on Þríhnúkagígur and the preservation of caves in general, as well as presenting his thoughts on the matter on many occasions. Below is an example of a presentation (follow the link):

Presentation 1 – On the preservation and conservation of sensitive formations in Icelandic lava caves (Presented at the 13th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology, Jeju Island, Rep. of Korea, Sept. 2008).