2023-11-11 12:56:00
Tourist authorities warn of the possibility of adjusting visitor itineraries as the accumulation of magma continues. (Shutterstock).
Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, a famous tourist attraction known for its hot springs, has temporarily closed due to seismic activity in the region. This threat has become a cause for concern, as the Reykjanes Peninsula, home to both the Blue Lagoon and Keflavik International Airport, recorded around 1,400 earthquakes in a 24-hour period until midday on Thursday, November 9, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
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In response to the frequency and magnitude of the earthquakes, those responsible for Blue Lagoon, the geothermal spa in Grindavik, decided to suspend its operations, with a preventive closure that began on Thursday and will last for a week, until November 16.
Although authorities did not increase the current level of uncertainty during this period of seismic activity, the well-being of visitors and employees was paramount in making this decision. In a normal year, hundreds of thousands of people frequent this place, which reached a record of 1.3 billion visitors in 2017.
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Iceland, which has more than 600 natural hot springs, is one of the most volcanically active places on the planet, and the Reykjanes Peninsula, rather than having a central volcano, is dominated by a geological fault valley, with lava fields and cones.
Additionally, in the last 24 hours, another 800 earthquakes were measured, mainly in the same area and at the same depth, approximately five kilometers below ground level, The New York Times reported.
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A spokeswoman for the local tourist board told CNN that the tremors can be felt from as far away as Reykjavík and the Icelandic Meteorological Service insists that “seismic activity is likely to continue and be episodic in intensity, while the buildup of magma keep going”. However, the institution has clarified that although there are larger earthquakes than before in the area, this does not necessarily mean an increase in the rate of magma accumulation.
The Reykjanes Peninsula has been marked with code yellow, one degree above the rest of the country’s green, for eruption risk. The current activity resembles that which preceded last year’s eruption of Fagradalsfjall, regarding 14 kilometers southwest of the Blue Lagoon.
Tourism board director Þuríður Aradóttir Braun highlights similarities with events prior to past eruptions and mentions precautionary measures for tourists. (REUTERS)
Fagradalsfjall has erupted every year since 2021. The last eruption occurred from July 10 to August 8, 2023. When hiking trails reopened in August, visitors were warned not to walk on the still “steam-hot” lava. .
Þuríður Aradóttir Braun, director of Visit Reykjanes, told CNN: “This continuous series of events is very similar to the one that preceded the three previous eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but might also fade like the events that we had in 2020″.
He added that the earthquakes are in a “relatively isolated part of Iceland,” but noted that visitors to the peninsula “may need to adjust their daily itinerary.” Finally, he said that if an eruption occurs, warnings will be sent to any mobile phone in the area, including foreigners.
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