Iceland has experienced hundreds of small earthquakes on a daily basis in the last two weeks.
The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, which is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country, has been impacted due to these recurring earthquakes.
Consequently, the spa has announced that it will be temporarily shutting down as Iceland has now been put on high alert for potential volcanic eruptions.
A day ago, guests were rushed to the hotels of the spa soon after they awoke in the middle of the night to shakes of an earthquake of magnitude 4.8.
This was the strongest quake to have hit the area in the most recent wave of seismic activity, which began on the 25th of October.
According to locals, they were unable to tell what had happened and could see lava rocks in close proximity to the Retreat Hotel.
They revealed that there was a panic situation, and people thought that a volcano was going to erupt nearby.
Volcanic eruption
Because of the recurring earthquakes in the last two weeks, the region located around Mount Thorbjorn on the Reykjanes Peninsula is believed to be at risk.
This is the most populated area of the island and has been revealed to have a buildup of volcanic magma around 5 kilometers beneath the surface.
Consequently, the land in the area has risen by no less than nine meters since the beginning of the seismic activity. However, it has not shown any signs of eruption.
As of now, scientists are monitoring the situation closely and are on the lookout for any seismic activity that could be close to the surface.
If they do note a rise in activity, it could be an indication that the magma is close to breaking through the crust of the earth.
According to experts, earthquake activity is not becoming shallower, but the situation is likely to change.
They believe that there is a possibility of a lava-producing eruption to occur in the northeast region of Thorbjorn.
Areas impacted
Iceland sits on a volcanic hotspot located in the North Atlantic and averages one volcanic eruption every four or five years.
The most disruptive eruption to have taken place last was the one in 2010, namely the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
This eruption caused huge clouds of ash to spew everywhere in the atmosphere, and widespread airspace closures took place throughout the continent.
Meanwhile, the Reykjanes Peninsula, which sits on the southwestern coast of Iceland, consists of a volcanic system that has erupted no less than three times since 2021.
The eruption of this volcano has been surprising, especially since it was dormant for more than 800 years.
Blue Lagoon
Soon after Blue Lagoon evacuated tourists a day ago due to an earthquake, the spa revealed that it believes it is in the best interests of everyone to temporarily close its doors.
The resort revealed that employees went through prolonged stress and now require time to recover.
Consequently, the spa has planned to remain closed till the 16th of November, shortly after being criticized for not acting sooner.
