Speaking of volcanos…
In September of 2022 Barb and I visited the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. Ten days ago, on November 9th, it was closed due to an impending volcanic eruptions. It will remain closed until at least November 30th. And if it gets damaged by the eruption who knows how long until it opens, if ever. I’m glad we got to visit before the eruption.
It is a major tourist attraction. Barb and I probably spent an hour soaking and swimming in the water. It was nice with stunning views, but it didn’t take too long before we got bored. Of course it probably would be more interesting if you were staying there and enjoying the restaurants, all the spa amenities, and the Norther Lights were visible.
I didn’t take any pictures from the swimsuit area but here are a few from the area near the parking lot:
That’s an interesting shade of blue. I’m more accustomed to transparent blue waters like the Blue Pool on the McKenzie River.
I think I read about the whiteness of the blue. But I forget what caused it. Probably some mineral from the geothermal source.
The color is silica (silicon dioxide), salt, and blue-green photosynthesizing algae. The salt concentration is high enough to kill nearly all life but the algae, while the silica softens the effect on skin. I think the milkiness is because part of the silica comes out of solution as tiny white particles as the water cools.
This isn’t a natural spring. They drilled for geothermal energy, to bring up hot water. They convert part of the heat to power and pipe the less-hot water into outdoor pools to seep back into the porous volcanic rock. But the silica and other minerals plug the pores, so they have to keep extending the drainage field to new pools.