Thousands of earthquakes have sunk the ground around an Iceland volcano bringing fears the famous Blue Lagoon attraction will see an eruption blow underneath it.
The Icelandic Met Office revealed an eruption is expected to happen worryingly close to the famous Blue Lagoon thermal spa – one of Iceland's top tourist attractions – which is currently closed to the public over safety fears.
The most likely site of the eruption is believed to be Sýlingarfell, three miles north of Grindavik (home of the Blue Lagoon) which was evacuated earlier this month over fears of an "imminent" eruption. Iceland declared a "state of emergency" in response to the many earthquakes and possible eruption.
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The Met Office expected Fagradalsfjall, an active volcano around 25 miles from Reykjavík, the country's largest and capital city, to spew lava from one of its craters within a matter of days as thousands of people were evacuated from their much-loved homes.
Around 120 earthquakes have rocked the areas surrounding the town of Grindavik as they await a likely eruption, report the Icelandic Met Office. Evacuated residents are being allowed to return to some areas under supervision to collect personal items.
A spokesman for the Blue Lagoon told of the decision to close the tourist attraction on Tuesday (November 28). He said: “On November 9, Blue Lagoon made the proactive decision to temporarily close its facilities, affecting operations at Blue Lagoon, Silica Hotel, Retreat Spa, Retreat Hotel, Lava, and Moss Restaurant.
“Considering disruptions to our guests’ experience and the sustained pressure on our employees, these precautionary measures were taken to ensure safety and well-being for all. The closure will remain in effect until 7am on December 7, at which point the situation will be reassessed.”
A swarm of intense earthquakes in the Reykjanes Peninsula in the country began on October 24, 2023, due to a magmatic intrusion underneath the area. The frequency and intensity of the earthquakes dramatically increased with a couple of weeks with more than 20,000 tremors recorded by November 10.
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Thousands of earthquakes rocked the southwestern peninsula of Reykjanes on November 11 leading semi-molten rock to ravage below the surface as the tremors caused a 15km long dyke to form, cracking the community in two and pushing the ground upwards in apocalyptical scenes.
An expert believes the recent activity could lead to decades of chaos for locals living in target areas, citing a new "eruptive cycle". It has been said one fishing town could be "damaged beyond repair" as Iceland prepares for a "worst-case scenario".
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