Where is Iceland's popular tourist attraction Blue Lagoon located? Geothermal spa shuts down amid volcanic eruption fears

The Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa located in Iceland’s Reykjavík, has announced its temporary shutdown after several earthquakes hit the region in a short span. The high number of earthquakes has left people in fear of a volcanic eruption. The resort has now stated that it will remain closed for an entire week, effective November 10, 2023.

The resort mentioned that many guests fled the area as soon as the earthquakes began. They have released a statement and claimed that:

"The Blue Lagoon has made the proactive decision to temporarily close its operations for one week although the current phase of uncertainty has not been elevated by the authorities during this seismic period."

They also stated how their decision came after many guests experienced disruptions, which also caused “prolonged strain” on the employees. The Blue Lagoon talked about how close to 23,000 small earthquakes hit the area in just 15 days. Furthermore, Iceland’s Met Office also clarified that Wednesday recorded 1,200 tremors in just 24 hours.

Blue Lagoon is allocated in the southwestern area of Iceland, near Grindavík. The geothermal spa is only 20 kilometers away from Keflavík International Airport. Being one of the most visited and popular tourist destinations in Iceland, the water of the geothermal spa is known for its milky blue water, which gets its color from high silica, creating soft mud at the bottom.

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Blue Lagoon Visitors and employees are concerned as officials detected the largest spike since the Seismic activity

Social media users were left alarmed after Blue Lagoon announced its temporary closure due to a spike in seismic activity after the Icelandic Met Officials detected an earthquake of 5.0 magnitude. Officials stated that it was the largest spike since the activity began, as there were many earthquakes of 4.0 magnitude while others were lower in magnitude.

Furthermore, Blue Lagoon Spa was one of many businesses to temporarily shut down in the area, as many businesses called the week off. The manager of the geothermal spa, Helga Árnadóttir, also commented and said:

“We were aware that this type of earthquake meant there was no danger, as civil protection had responded, but we thought it was important to respond in this way at this time. Generally, the guests were naturally worried and aware of the situation, but the majority were very calm. Our staff did extremely well, as always, in helping the guests and informing them, as they always do. The guests appreciated that.”

Furthermore, the management clarified that people’s lives and well-being matter more to the luxury hotel than finances. However, many locals and taxi drivers also claimed that the situation was very tense in the area. Many described the indent as a “panic situation.” This fright among civilians is because many people feared the possibility of a “volcanic eruption.”

Experts and scientists are closely monitoring the situation since Iceland is just above a volcanic hotspot in North America.