Iceland preparing evacuations for possible volcanic eruption
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The country of Iceland is making preparations for another possible volcanic eruption in the coming days, potentially affecting the famous Blue Lagoon and leading to the evacuation of a nearby town.
In the past 10 days or so, the southwest coast of Iceland has been rattled by over 10,000 earthquakes, with over 900 earthquakes in just the last 24 hours. Many of those quite small but a good number have been in the Magnitude 3 to 4 range, meaning they have been felt by residents of the nearby town of Grindavik, as well as at the international airport and in the capital of Reykjavik.
In addition to the earthquakes, there has been significant ground uplift in the region. The uplift is caused by magma intruding under ground, and pushing the surface of the Earth upward. The ground in the area has risen by 7 to 8cm in the last 10 days, or around 3 inches. While that doesn’t seem like a huge change, it actually represents a very large shift in the underlying magma chamber indicating a large plume of magma is pushing upward.
The focus of this uplift is just to the west or southwest of the Blue Lagoon, and the nearby geothermal power plant that supplies electricity and hot water to southwest parts of Iceland. If an eruption occurs, this is likely where it would begin.
While it’s difficult to know exactly where the lava would flow, chances are high it would move toward the Blue Lagoon and eventually the town of Grindavik. There are some estimates that the lava could reach the resort within just a few minutes, and then move toward the geothermal plant.
The chance that the lava could impact Grindavik has the town preparing evacuation routes for the over 3 thousand residents. They have also placed generators in the area should the geothermal plant be affected.
While an eruption is not currently imminent, an eventual eruptions appears very likely. The pattern of unrest has closely followed the same pattern as the previous eruptions in 2021, 2022, and earlier this year.
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