The “Blue Lagoon”, a tourist resort near Grindavik known for its geothermal spas, was closed as a precautionary measure on Thursday.
In total, more than 23,000 tremors have been recorded since October 25, including more than 1,400 in the last 24 hours, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Institute (IMO).
❗️[ 🇮🇸 ISLANDE ]
🔸 A part of Iceland has been shaken by numerous earthquakes for several hours. A volcanic eruption near Grindavík could be imminent.pic.twitter.com/YQvrJtCROg
— (Small) Think Tank (@L_ThinkTank) November 10, 2023
The Blue Lagoon location, known for its turquoise water pools and luxury hotels, “has made the proactive decision to temporarily suspend its operations for a week.” A series of earthquakes have shaken the Reykjanes peninsula, where the Blue Lagoon is located, in recent weeks.
Rising magma
On October 27, the IMO detected ground swelling caused by an accumulation of magma at a depth of 5 kilometers.
The phenomenon has accelerated in the last 24 hours and this Friday a movement of magma towards the surface was detected. Real-time data from the Norwegian Meteorological Agency suggests that magma is currently intruding into Sundhnúka crater, about three kilometers northeast of Grindavík, the city where the Blue Lagoon is located.
It is very likely that an eruption will occur near the Blue Lagoon in the next few hours. The road there is already closed because it is badly damaged and impassable. This is the main route from the nearest town of Grindavík pic.twitter.com/V6FR37vh38
— FPL Kraken (@fpl_kraken) November 10, 2023
The roads around the site, which were twisted by landslides, were closed to traffic. According to reports, a fire broke out in the power plant installed in the city.
These phenomena are widespread in this volcanic region, geologists recalled: the peninsula lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, one of the most important on the planet, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are moving away from each other.
This is the fifth ground swelling observed in the region since the reawakening of seismic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula in December 2019, after around 800 years of dormancy.