The Reykjanes volcano in south-west Iceland erupted on Monday, spewing lava and smoke into the air, after weeks of intense earthquake activity, the country's Meteorological Office said.
Fearing a significant outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities last month evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik and closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
"Warning: Eruption has started north of Grindavik by Hagafell," the Met Office said on its website.
Images and a livestream broadcast by Reuters showed molten rock spewing like fountains from fissures in the ground, their bright-yellow and orange colours set in sharp contrast against the dark night sky.
Icelandic police said they had raised their alert level as a result of the outbreak and the country's civil defence warned the public not to approach the area while emergency personnel assessed the situation.
A coastguard helicopter was going to be in the air shortly to confirm the exact location and size of the eruption, the Met Office said.
Icelandic volcano erupts - in pictures
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A coastguard helicopter flies close to near magma flowing down a hill on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula on Monday night. AP -
The volcano erupted on Monday night, turning the sky orange and prompting the country’s civil defence to be on high alert. Reuters -
The eruption was about 4km north-east of the town of Grindavik. EPA -
The volcano was hit by more than 1,000 earthquakes in just 24 hours on November 9, igniting fears of an imminent eruption. EPA -
An evacuation order for the population of Grindavik was issued last month following seismic activity and indications of considerable magma movement in the area. EPA -
Smoke billows near the town of Keflavik, with the eruption turning the sky orange. AFP -
The Norwegian Meteorological Agency estimated that 100 to 200 cubic metres of lava is spewing out each second. Reuters -
A local resident watches smoke billow as the lava colours the night sky orange on the Reykjanes peninsula. AFP -
Grindavik, a fishing town of 3,400, sits on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 50km south-west of the capital, Reykjavik. AFP -
Molten lava is thrown into the air from a fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula. AFP -
Scientists say the eruption is unlikely to produce a plume of smoke like the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption, which grounded flights globally. AFP -
Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hotspot south-west of Reykjavik. AFP
The eruption began about 10.17pm after a series of small earthquakes at about 9pm, the IMO said.
Reykjavik's international airport, which is near by, remained open.
"At the moment, there are no disruptions to arrivals or departures at Keflavík Airport," it said on its website.
The Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years had several eruptions in unpopulated areas, but the latest outbreak could pose a risk to the Grindavik, authorities have said.
The area had thousands of earthquakes in the past two months but the magnitudes had declined in recent weeks, leading some experts to think the risk of an eruption had abated.
Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot-spot south-west of the capital Reykjavik.
In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a 500-750-metre-long fissure in the ground in the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
Iceland is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe.
