“The Blue Lagoon has decided to suspend operations for a week, even though the authorities have not raised the current level of uncertainty during this period due to seismic activity,” we read on one of, if not the most popular attractions. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal SPA that will not be available until at least November 16. The center justifies taking such precautions for the “safety and well-being” of both clients and .
“Seismic swarm” in Iceland
The threat that led to the closure is a series of attacks that have been hitting the island since October 24. There is even talk of the so-called a seismic swarm, i.e. a group of close earthquakes that occur one after the other in a short time. About 1,400 earthquakes were recorded in the last 24 hours. The largest of them had a magnitude of 4.8.
In many places, earthquakes exceed magnitude 4. One of them took place near the Blue Lagoon, followed by several hundred smaller ones, which had a major impact on the decision to close the center. “” describes that about 40 guests left during the night and stones fell on the road leading to the hotel.
Magma is moving underground
The Icelandic authorities are monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) explains that the tremors are caused by magma moving underground (if it came to the surface, we would talk about lava). It is estimated that it moves at a depth of about 5 meters underground. “The seismic activity last night and this morning is an example of the sporadic seismicity that can be expected during magma accumulation,” IMO.
that there may be leaks in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. Ingibjorg Lilja Omarsdottir from the Icelandic Civil Protection Agency said in an interview that such a threat was small. – There is no urgent need for evacuation, but local authorities are prepared in case magma could escape to the surface – she said. In the event of an eruption, information should appear about one and a half days in advance. The plan has already been announced by the town of Grindavík, located close to the Blue Lagoon.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) clarifies that the fact that larger earthquakes are currently occurring on the Reykjavik Peninsula than before does not necessarily mean an increased rate of magma accumulation.
Source: Gazeta
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