GRINDAVIK, Iceland — The volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland has erupted for the seventh time since December.
The eruption began with little warning at 11:14 pm on Wednesday and created a fissure about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long. The activity is estimated to be much smaller than the previous eruption in August, said Iceland's meteorological office that monitors earthquake activity.
“In the big picture, this is smaller than the last eruption, and the eruption that happened in May,” Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, a professor of geophysics who flew to the scene with the Civil Protection agency to monitor the event, told the national broadcaster RUV.
Although the explosion did not pose a threat to air travel, authorities warned of gas emissions from all parts of the peninsula, including the nearby town of Grindavík.
About 50 houses were evacuated after the Civil Protection agency issued a warning, along with tourists at the popular Blue Lagoon tourist destination, according to RUV.
Repeated volcanic eruptions near Grindavík, which is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, and has a population of 3,800, have destroyed infrastructure and property and forced many residents to evacuate to ensure their safety.
“Grindavík is not in danger as it seems and there is little chance that this crack will continue, although nothing can be cut,” said Magnús Tumi.
Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic, averages one eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010, which spewed ash clouds into the atmosphere and disrupted trans-Atlantic air travel for months.
— Keyton reported from Berlin.
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