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Nature and EnvironmentIceland

Volcano erupts in southwest Iceland

July 11, 2023

A volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland, near the capital Reykjavik. The country's meteorological office said there was no sign of volcanic ash or risks to air travel.

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Smoke is seen billowing from flowing lava during a volcanic eruption southwest of Reykjavik.
Smoke could also be seen billowing from the volcano from the nearby capital of ReykjavikImage: Kristinn Magnusson/AFP

A volcanoerupted near Iceland's capital on Monday, following a period of seismic activity in the area, nearly 11 months after its last eruption ended officially.

The eruption took place on Monday in an uninhabited valley on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland, the country's meteorological office said.

Lava spurts after the eruption of a volcano, on the Reykjanes peninsula, near the capital Reykjavik, in southwest Iceland.
The lava spurts were small at least as the eruption began on MondayImage: Juergen Merz/REUTERS

No sign of ash or air disruptions akin to 2010

"The eruption is small and there is presently no emission of ash to the atmosphere," the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said.

Lava is emerging as "a series of fountains" from a 200-meter (656-feet) long fissure on the slopes of the mountain, it added.

Icelandic volcanic eruptions tend to draw people's minds back to April 2010, when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere. 

It prompted much of Europe's airspace to close, leaving almost 100,000 flights grounded. 

The area that began to erupt on Monday, known broadly as the Fagradalsfjall volcano, is also close to the country's main Keflavik Airport, but several recent eruptions there have not affected air travel.

Fountains of lava after many small quakes in area

Local television reports showed lava and smoke rising from a fissure in the ground on the side of the Fagradalsfjall volcano.

Lava is emerging as "a series of fountains" from a 200-meter (656-feet) long fissure on the slopes of the mountain, the IMO said.

Thousands of small quakes were recorded in the area — a volcanic and seismic hotspot — in the week leading up to the eruption.

The magma broke through the ground at around 1640 GMT, a few kilometers from two previous eruptions in the last two years.

An aerial photograph shows flowing lava during n volcanic eruption near Litli Hrutur, southwest of Reykjavik in Iceland.
The Fagradalsfjall volcano has erupted three times in the last three years for varying lengths of timeImage: Kristinn Magnusson/AFP

The first eruption in 2021 lasted six months while a second one occurred in 2022 for three weeks.

Iceland witnesses an average of one volcanic eruption every four to five years.

dvv/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)