[ad_1]
Hildur HlÃn JónsdÃ3ttir / AP
The long dormant volcano in southwest Iceland has come to life in that area’s first volcanic eruption in nearly 800 years.
A long-dormant volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland came to life on Friday night (local time), spilling lava from two sides in the area’s first volcanic eruption in nearly 800 years.
Initial aerial images, posted on the Icelandic Met Office Facebook page, showed a relatively small eruption so far, with two lava streams running in opposite directions.
Icelandic Meteorological Office / Facebook
The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that an eruption has started at Fagradalsfjall, which was long expected to be the site of a possible volcanic eruption.
The glow of the lava could be seen from the outskirts of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, which is about 20 miles away.
READ MORE:
* Te Araroa 7.1 earthquake ‘ambiguous’, a ‘good practice race’, says scientist
* The science of tsunamis and which parts of New Zealand are most at risk
* Spectacular eruption of Mount Etna rains ash in cities of Italy
* Iceland has 17,000 earthquakes in a week; props for a possible volcanic eruption
The Emergency Management Department said it did not anticipate evacuations because the volcano is in a remote valley, about 2.5 kilometers from the nearest highway.
The Fagradals Mountain volcano had been dormant for 6,000 years, and the Reykjanes Peninsula had not seen a volcano erupt in 781 years.
Recently, there have been signs of a possible eruption, with earthquakes occurring daily for the past three weeks. But volcanologists were still surprised that seismic activity had subsided before the eruption.
