There may be magma leaks in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland – such a warning appeared on Friday, November 3. This geothermal spa is one of, if not the most popular attraction. The threat is related to a series of earthquakes that have been hitting the island since October 24. Their strength is moderate, on Friday the largest recorded quakes had a magnitude of 4.2.
Earthquake in Iceland. Residents threatened by magma leaks
Despite the threat, the Blue Lagoon operates as usual, the only difference is that it remains in close contact with scientists and services – by phone, the head of sales at the spa, Helga Arnadottir.
The Icelandic authorities are monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis. The magma is moving underground (if it came to the surface, we would be talking about lava) and is approaching the fishing town of Grindavik, which is inhabited by 3.6 thousand people. people – Bloomberg reported on Friday. It’s just a few hundred meters from the Blue Lagoon. Nevertheless, there is no risk of a sudden eruption.
However, minor intrusions of magma onto the surface have already taken place, including: near the Svartsengi geothermal power plant. Its authorities are prepared in the event of a lava flow, but they nevertheless warn that there may be problems with the supply of hot water. Iceland has also issued a warning about rocks that may fall from steep slopes.
Tectonic movements on Reykjanes
Iceland is experiencing higher than usual seismic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula. On Saturday, until 10:30, no earthquakes as strong as in previous days had been recorded. In total, almost 900 tectonic movements were measured in the last 48 hours. A magnitude greater than 3 was recorded only 23 times, and none on Saturday. So far, the strongest quake on November 4 had a magnitude of 2.1.
The Reykjanes Peninsula, which is a volcanic system, last erupted in August this year. However, the eruption occurred in uninhabited regions. Despite this, an alarm was briefly raised at Iceland’s main airport, in Keflavik. Currently, however, magma is moving under areas where an eruption would threaten the lives of residents and infrastructure.
Source: Gazeta
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