"the island of Heimei in South Iceland, a place and community shaped by their shared experience of the 1973 eruption. The five months of the eruption here brought this community together in their response to the volcano, but it also tore them apart with hundreds of families seeking refuge in towns on the mainland. Today this event provides us with an incredible 50-year perspective on the impacts of a tectonic hazard from which we can better learn how to manage the impacts of volcanic eruptions happening today. So what was life like for those forced to evacuate their home only to return to an island almost unrecognizable to the one they left behind? And what can the legacy of this event teach us about the long-term impacts of volcanic eruptions on people and communities? To answer these questions I've spent the last four years doing physical and human geography field work here on Heimei. I've been researching the island's long-term experiences of the 1973 eruption and its aftermath."