GRINDAVIK, Iceland (NEWSnet/AP) — A volcano that had rumbled for weeks erupted in southwestern Iceland Monday, spewing semi-molten rock into the air amid the winter’s dark sky.
The eruption occurred about 2.4 miles from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
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The town near Iceland's main airport was evacuated in November after thousands of earthquakes damaged homes and raised fears of an eruption.
On Tuesday, fountains of orange lava shot upward from a fissure in the ground. Iceland, which sits just below the Arctic Circle and above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic, has about 20 hours of darkness a day in December. Icelandic broadcaster RUV showed a live feed of the eruption on its website, as Christmas carols played in the background.
Iceland averages a volcano eruption every four to five years.
The current eruption is not expected to release ash into the air because it is not taking place under water or ice. Iceland’s Foreign Minister Bjarne Benediktsson said on X, formerly Twitter, that there were no disruptions of flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open. National air carrier Icelandair said its flights were not affected by the eruption.
Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a scientist who flew over the site on Tuesday morning onboard a coast guard research flight, said the eruption was expected to continue decreasing in intensity but that scientists have no idea how long it could last.
“This is not a tourist attraction and you must watch it from a great distance," Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management, told RUV.
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