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Ninth volcano eruption hits Iceland since 2023
Although the eruption did not disrupt air traffic, air quality in the nearby area is reported to be “awful,” and residents have been urged to keep their windows closed.
Ninth volcano eruption hits Iceland since 2023
Lava emerges through a fissure following a volcano eruption near Grindavik / Reuters
6 hours ago

A volcano erupted in Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula in the southwest,according to weather authorities, the ninth eruption to hit the region since the end of 2023.

Live video feeds showed lava spewing out of a fissure in the ground, with the Icelandic Met Office Reporting that it began just before 4:00am (0400 GMT).

Broadcaster RUV reported that the nearby fishing village Grindavik had been evacuated, as had the Blue Lagoon, Iceland's famed tourist spot.

The previous eruption to hit the area was in April.

RelatedTRT Global - Volcano begins erupting in southwestern Iceland hours after nearby town and spa evacuated

When the first volcanic eruption hit the area in late 2023, most of Grindavik's 4,000 residents were evacuated.

Since then, almost all of the houses have been sold to the state, and most of residents have left.

Volcanoes on the Reykjanes peninsula had not erupted for eight centuries when in March 2021 a period of heightened seismic activity began.

Volcanologists have warned in recent years that volcanic activity in the region has entered a new era.

RUV reported the latest eruption was not expected to effect international flights.

A volcanic eruption in another part of Iceland in 2010 caused worldwide travel chaos as the ash spewing into the atmosphere sparked airspace closures in Europe.

Iceland is home to 33 active volcanic systems, more than any other European country.

It is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a fault in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and causes earthquakes and eruptions.

SOURCE:REUTERS
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