A NASA satellite has captured the volcanic eruption that threatened Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon thermal spa attraction.
A volcanic fissure burst open on November 20 and four days later NASA’s Landsat 9 flew overhead and the Operational Land Imager -2 (OLI-2) onboard the satellite captured a color image showing plumes of gas that consists primarily of sulfur dioxide streaming from the lava.
Last week, PetaPixel featured press photographer Vilhelm Gunnarsson who captured spectacular photos from the ground showing the the lava destroying parts of the Blue Lagoon.
Just a few hours after the November 20 eruption, another satellite, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite, captured a nighttime image that shows the light from the eruption outshining the light emanating from the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík.
The NASA Earth Observatory reports that lava flowed east and west from the three-kilometer (1.9 miles) long fissure. The eruption came from the Sundhnúka crater in the Reykjanes peninsula predicated by a “swarm of earthquakes.”
The Sundhnúkur crater is close to Iceland’s internationally renowned tourist attraction the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa. The Blue Lagoon was forced to close as the resort’s parking lot was engulfed in lava last week. 50 homes in the homes of Grindavík, which lies at the center of the seismic activity, were forced to evacuate.
“Lava has previously destroyed roads, homes, power lines, and water pipelines,” Gunnarsson told PetaPixel last week.
“Since December 2023, there have been seven eruptions in the area of Sundhnúksgígar. The eruptions have increasingly tested mitigation measures, such as lava cooling, employed to protect Svartsengi power facilities.”
Live Science reports that while Iceland is famous for its dramatic volcano eruption which can sometimes affect air travel, most of the eruptions are in the remote north and east regions of the island where few people live. However, the recent explosions have been in western Iceland where the capital Reykavík is.
As of November 26, the Blue Lagoon was still shut. The eruption is continuing but the lava is slowing.
Image credits: NASA.