Spectacular images of Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon invaded by volcanic lava

Is one of Iceland's most famous places under threat? Lava from the latest volcanic eruption in the southwest of the country engulfed the parking lot of the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa on Thursday. In photos published by Reuters, a black and orange lava flow can be seen covering the area which once served as a parking lot for 350 cars as well as a space for coaches.

A service building used to store visitors' luggage was also engulfed by lava, but there appeared to be no immediate threat to the hot pools as the lava was curbed by a protective wall. Images posted on social networks by the RUV news channel show workers at work to contain the flow.

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Hundreds of thousands of visitors each year

A manager of the Blue Lagoon, Helga Arnadottir, told the daily Morning newspaper that she did not know when the site would be able to reopen to visitors. “The authorities are currently assessing the situation.” Icelanders began swimming in the “Blue Lagoon” in the 1980s to treat skin conditions. The spa as we know it today opened in 1999. It now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and even has its own hotel.

The fishing village of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon were evacuated on Wednesday evening after an eruption in the Sundhnukagigar volcanic fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula for the seventh time in a year. The peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries until March 2021. Others took place in August 2022 as well as in July 2023. Volcanologists then warned that volcanic activity in the region had entered in a new era.

Iceland is home to 33 active volcanic systems, more than any other European country. It is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a fault in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and causes earthquakes and eruptions.

On video, images of the new volcanic eruption in Iceland