If you were planning to visit Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon in the next few days, it’s time to consider alternative options. Authorities are closely monitoring a nearby volcano that shows signs of a potential eruption, with magma moving closer to the surface.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) is regularly updating its website and sharing developments on social media, including the closure of the Blue Lagoon due to recent seismic activity. Since midnight on November 14, around 700 earthquakes have been detected along the magma intrusion.
A state of emergency has been declared, leading to the evacuation of at least 3,000 residents from Grindavik, a town near the Blue Lagoon. Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide were also recorded in the air around Grindavik.
Officials are actively monitoring seismic activity, ground deformation, and have installed GPS stations in the Grindavik-Svartsengi region for enhanced monitoring. While the potential eruption could occur underwater, making it more explosive, the impact on Grindavík would be more severe in a land-based eruption.
Although experts suggest the eruption may not be exceptionally large, forecasting its exact size remains challenging, according to Bill McGuire, a professor emeritus of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at University College London.
