After weeks of seismic activity, volcano erupts near Iceland's capital Reykjavik
Several photos shared on social media showed smoke rising from the lava streams which are glowing brightly thus resulting in a bright red night sky.
A volcanic eruption began in southwestern Iceland on Friday, near to the capital Reykjavik, according to the Icelandic meteorological office (IMO). The eruption followed thousands of small earthquakes that have occurred in the area in the recent weeks and occurred near Fagradalsfjall which is a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula, located around 30 km south-west of the capital, according to a report in Reuters. IMO said that the eruption posed no immediate danger to people or infrastructure.
Several photos shared on social media showed smoke rising from the lava streams which are glowing brightly thus resulting in a bright red night sky. The meteorological office also warned people falling rocks and boulders as well as landslides. However, the eruption is not expected to release much ash or smoke.
Earthquakes in Iceland
The eruption followed an earthquake of 3.1 magnitude on the Richter scale. More than 40,000 earthquakes have been recorded on the peninsula in the past four weeks, which was being considered as an indication by scientists that a volcanic eruption might take place soon. Iceland is prone to earthquakes as it is located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates which make it a hotspot as the two plates continuously move in the opposite direction.
The eruption in 2010
The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruptions in the country halted approximately 900,000 flights across Europe and caused significant damage to infrastructure in the country. The eruptions were a series of volcanic events with small volcanic eruptions for a long period of time. They started in April 2020 for a period of six days and then continued for several months. Just during the initial six days, the ash from the volcanic eruption covered large areas of Northern Europe because of which about 20 countries closed their airspace. affecting approximately 10 million travellers. Although, the Fagradalsfjall eruption is not expected to be like the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, according to the IMO.