Icelandic Volcano Erupts, Forcing Tourists To Evacuate Famous Geothermal Spa

A volcanic eruption successful Iceland forced visitors to evacuate nan Blue Lagoon geothermal spa connected Wednesday arsenic images captured lava flowing done a fissure successful nan Earth’s surface. 

The eruption began astir 4 a.m. pursuing an aggravated seismic swarm connected nan Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of nan capital, Reykjavik, Iceland’s Met Office said. 

"In an abundance of caution, nan municipality of Grindavík and nan Blue Lagoon were successfully evacuated," Iceland’s authorities said. "Travelers successful nan area are advised to show aerial quality, arsenic state contamination from nan eruption tract whitethorn occur." 

Lava from nan eruption is flowing southeast from a fissure successful nan barren scenery that is 2,296 to 3,280 feet wide, according to nan Met Office. 

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Lava emerges done a fissure pursuing a volcano eruption adjacent Grindavik, Iceland, connected Wednesday, July 16, 2025.  (Hordur Kristleifsson via Civil Protection Of Iceland)

Grindavik has been many times affected by volcanic activity since November 2023 erstwhile a volcano successful nan area came to life aft lying dormant for immoderate 800 years. 

"Air postulation to and from Iceland is unaffected, and Iceland remains unfastened and safe for tourists. This volcanic activity is highly localized and has nary effect connected infrastructure aliases attractions crossed nan remainder of Iceland," nan country’s authorities said. 

It described volcanic activity arsenic a "fact of life successful Iceland, and Icelanders person learned to unrecorded pinch its drawbacks and sizeable advantages, specified arsenic geothermal energy." 

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Tourists enjoying nan Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. (Danuta Hamlin)

"The Icelandic Meteorological Office, The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, and a squad of scientists from nan University of Iceland intimately show and analyse developments relating [to] seismic activities," it besides said. 

Officials said location person been a twelve volcanic eruptions connected nan Reykjanes Peninsula making love backmost to 2021. 

"There is nary measurement of accurately predicting whether, where, aliases erstwhile seismic activity whitethorn consequence successful a volcanic eruption aliases nan imaginable size of specified an eruption, but they are intimately monitored and perpetually evaluated based connected nan champion technological information available," Iceland’s authorities said. 

The eruption connected Wednesday, July 16, 2025, arsenic seen from a Coast Guard chopper during a surveillance flight.  (The Icelandic Met Office/Halldór Björnsson)

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"Iceland is situated connected nan Mid-Atlantic Ridge, wherever nan North American and Eurasian tectonic plates diverge, making it 1 of nan astir progressive volcanic regions successful nan world. Regular seismic events are a characteristic characteristic of Icelandic geology, ranging from insignificant tremors to important earthquakes," it added. "Seismic activity successful Iceland is often owed to magma activity beneath nan earth's crust. It whitethorn sometimes consequence successful magma seeking nan easiest way to nan aboveground and becoming a volcanic eruption." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.