From Ambassador (Seismic activity in Reykjanes)
2023/12/4
In a recent article entitled “Behind the scenes at the Blue Lagoon”, I mentioned the Svartsengi geothermal power station, and in fact, last month, there were frequent earthquakes in the surrounding area due to underground magma flow, which led to an evacuation order being issued to the residents of Grindavík on the evening of November 10.
This is the first time that an evacuation order has been issued since a volcanic eruption occurred in Heimaey, Westman Islands, in 1973. Furthermore, this is the first time that a precautionary evacuation order has been issued before an eruption.
Grindavík has a population of around 3,700. It is not a very large town, but even so, if all residents were to evacuate, considerable chaos would be expected. Moreover, the evacuation order was issued halfway through the night. However, many people were trying to avoid the frequent earthquakes that had been occurring for some time and were spending the weekend at other relatives and friends' homes, therefore, fortunately, half the town was already empty. Thanks to this, there was not much confusion and the evacuation was completed safely by dawn the next day.
After that, for some reason, no lava outflows or eruptions have occurred yet so far. Since the evacuation was completed, there has been no human casualties, but there has been extensive property damage, such as road damage due to ground uplift and subsidence and breaks and cracks in water and hot water supply pipes, just to name a few of the confirmed cases. Damage also appears to have occurred in the vicinity of the geothermal power plant, including Matorka, the fish farming facility, which has been mentioned here previously.
The Blue Lagoon, a popular destination for Japanese tourists, was temporarily closed on November 9 "to dispel the concerns of guests and employees" and will remain closed until December 7. (As of Dec. 4)
This is the first time that an evacuation order has been issued since a volcanic eruption occurred in Heimaey, Westman Islands, in 1973. Furthermore, this is the first time that a precautionary evacuation order has been issued before an eruption.
Grindavík has a population of around 3,700. It is not a very large town, but even so, if all residents were to evacuate, considerable chaos would be expected. Moreover, the evacuation order was issued halfway through the night. However, many people were trying to avoid the frequent earthquakes that had been occurring for some time and were spending the weekend at other relatives and friends' homes, therefore, fortunately, half the town was already empty. Thanks to this, there was not much confusion and the evacuation was completed safely by dawn the next day.
After that, for some reason, no lava outflows or eruptions have occurred yet so far. Since the evacuation was completed, there has been no human casualties, but there has been extensive property damage, such as road damage due to ground uplift and subsidence and breaks and cracks in water and hot water supply pipes, just to name a few of the confirmed cases. Damage also appears to have occurred in the vicinity of the geothermal power plant, including Matorka, the fish farming facility, which has been mentioned here previously.
The Blue Lagoon, a popular destination for Japanese tourists, was temporarily closed on November 9 "to dispel the concerns of guests and employees" and will remain closed until December 7. (As of Dec. 4)