Live data from Hacker News

Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

theguardian.com

11–20 of 52 posts

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#11

I always found it interesting that Iceland has no indigenous population (like the inuit), prior to Scandinavian and British immigration. Like, what if it's because it is regularly buried in lava or something.

What makes the Icelandic people not indigenous?

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#12
post #2

I was there in January the weather was hailing and of course it's Iceland, windy as all get out. Love Iceland yet the Blue Lagoon compared to the govt run bathhouses in Reykjavik (where I socialized & met locals/made friends) was lacking for me.

I had a better and probably cheaper experience at one of the thermal pools on the golden circle. I think I paid a $35 USD entrance fee per person when I was there several years ago which for Iceland is pretty dang reasonable

[deleted]

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#13
post #11

I always found it interesting that Iceland has no indigenous population (like the inuit), prior to Scandinavian and British immigration. Like, what if it's because it is regularly buried in lava or something.

What makes the Icelandic people not indigenous?

Probably because they're Vikings who came from Scandinavia around the 8th-9th century, whereas the Inuit/other indigenous people have lived in their region since the BC times. Iceland seems to have only been habitable with the "modern" technology.

I also find it fascinating, it's a place where there's no "colonializers" and "colonized"...

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#14
post #11

I always found it interesting that Iceland has no indigenous population (like the inuit), prior to Scandinavian and British immigration. Like, what if it's because it is regularly buried in lava or something.

What makes the Icelandic people not indigenous?

They’re living there not long enough compared to the rest of Europe? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlement_of_Iceland

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#15
post #11

I always found it interesting that Iceland has no indigenous population (like the inuit), prior to Scandinavian and British immigration. Like, what if it's because it is regularly buried in lava or something.

What makes the Icelandic people not indigenous?

I think the implication is, that like the Maoris in New Zealand, they're only faux indigenous, as they arrived on boats. Probably doesn't matter much as there is no grift to be had.

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#16

I always found it interesting that Iceland has no indigenous population (like the inuit), prior to Scandinavian and British immigration. Like, what if it's because it is regularly buried in lava or something.

Lava doesn't cover all of Iceland anywhere near enough to regularly bury things on that timescale. There was arable land and forest when the Norse came.

There is some evidence that Irish monks were on Iceland before the Norse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Iceland#Irish_monks

Were there another non-European population earlier, they would need to get there by sea. I would expect archeological evidence of sea-worthy ships, which we do for the Norse.

It is a long way from Greenland to Iceland - far greater than the ~35 km from Ellesmere Island to Greenland, which is how we think the Dorset and Thule people got to Greenland. (And that was on the other side of Greenland.)

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#17
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes the Icelandic people not indigenous?

Probably because they're Vikings who came from Scandinavia around the 8th-9th century, whereas the Inuit/other indigenous people have lived in their region since the BC times. Iceland seems to have only been habitable with the "modern" technology. I also find it fascinating, it's a place where there's no "colonializers" and "colonized"...

Not strictly true as Iceland was ruled by Denmark for a long time and only became fully independent in 1944.

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#19

> The Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa south-west of Reykjavík, announced it would close its doors on Thursday for a week This is temporary, not permanent. Short of the whole thing being swallowed by a lava fissure there's no way they will close Iceland's most famous tourist trap.

Yep. But: the upcoming eruptions could limit or destroy access routes, change geothermal patterns, create other nearby health risks – or even, as you put it, result literall in "the whole thing being swallowed by a lava fissure".

Re: Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland closes after series of earthquakes

#20

I always found it interesting that Iceland has no indigenous population (like the inuit), prior to Scandinavian and British immigration. Like, what if it's because it is regularly buried in lava or something.

[flagged]

Were your ancestors there before the immigration the parent post alludes to? Are you a Huldufólk with internet access?
Post reply on HN