A long-dormant volcano in southwest Iceland erupted on Friday some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Bureau said.
Local media reported that inbound and outbound air traffic had stopped from Keflavik International Airport, the largest in the country, serving the capital.
The eruption followed thousands of smaller earthquakes in the area in recent weeks, with officials bracing for an eruption.
‘Color code red’
The Meteorological Bureau reported the volcanic eruption in Fagradalsberg and stated that “the flight color code is red, but very little turbulence is seen on seismometers.”
The rift caused by the eruption was about 200 meters long, the national weather service said.
The Coast Guard said lava “appeared to be flowing slowly” when they shared an aerial photo of the eruption on Facebook.
Authorities urged people to avoid the eruption site.
“We ask people to stay calm and under no circumstances go near the eruption site or on Reykjanesbraut. First responders must be able to drive freely to assess the situation. Scientists are working to assess the eruption,” police said.
Iceland’s Justice Minister Aslaug Arna Sigurbjornsdottir shared an image of the eruption with a bright red night sky.
Two flights went to Keflavik International Airport.
A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to investigate the volcanic eruption.
An expected eruption
Iceland’s southern peninsula and the Krysuvik volcanic system, a largely uninhabited area encompassing Mount Keilir, had recorded at least 40,000 tremors up to magnitude 5.7 as of Feb. 24.
Experts had said prior to the eruption that they expected a lava-based outpouring, nothing reminiscent of 2010’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which created a massive ash cloud that notoriously disrupted some 900,000 flights across Europe over a period of several weeks.
The region is known to experience exuberant eruptions, where lava flows from the ground, rather than explosive ones, where ash clouds burst high into the sky. The latter are much more problematic for air travel, where the ash can damage jet engines and affect visibility.
According to the Meteorological Bureau, the Krysuvik volcanic system has been inactive for nearly 900 years. The southern Reykjanes peninsula witnessed an eruption 781 years ago.
fb / msh (AFP, dpa, Reuters)