Authorities say the eruption of a long-dormant volcano is diminishing and should not hinder air travel.
A volcano that spewed glowing red lava near Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, after waking up for the first time in 900 years, appeared to be sinking and posed no danger to humans, experts said.
Streams of red lava bubbled and flowed from a canyon in a valley in Geldingadalur, near Mount Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland.
As the lava flow slowed under downpours on Saturday, a blue plume of gas and a cloud of vapor rose from the site, just 40km (25 miles) from the capital and near a popular tourist destination, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
The eruption took place around 20:45 GMT on Friday, illuminating the night sky with a crimson glow as hundreds of small earthquakes shook the area.
Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport and the small fishing port of Grindavik are only a few kilometers away, but the zone is uninhabited and the eruption posed no danger to the public.
“The eruption is considered minor at this stage and volcanic activity has declined somewhat since last night,” the Icelandic Meteorological Bureau (IMO), which monitors seismic activity, said in a statement on Saturday.
Coast Guard personnel inspect the lava flowing from the erupting volcano Fagradalsfjall [handout/Icelandic Coast Guard via AFP
It said the “eruptive fissure” measured approximately 500 to 700 metres (1,640 to 2,300 feet).
The lava area, it added, was less than one square kilometre (0.4 square miles), with small lava fountains.
Speaking to reporters, University of Iceland geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson described the valley as an “ideal” spot for the eruption, likening it to “a bathtub the lava can slowly leak into”.
IMO earthquake hazards coordinator Kristin Jonsdottir said it was “very likely the eruption will last for the next few days”.
Sigurdur Kristmundsson, a 54-year-old Grindavik port official, told AFP news agency that locals were exhilarated by the eruption.
“Nobody is in danger or anything like that. So I think people are excited and not afraid of it.”
Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s international air traffic hub, said flights have remained on schedule since the eruption began.
In 2010, an eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland sent clouds of ash and dust into the atmosphere, interrupting air travel between Europe and North America because of concerns the material could damage jet engines.
More than 100,000 flights were grounded, stranding millions of passengers.