The summary has been updated with new details. A volcano has erupted in southwestern Iceland, sending a flash of light into the evening sky and spewing semi-molten rock into the air in a spectacular show of Earth's power in the land known for fire and ice. The eruption Monday night appears to have occurred about 2½ miles from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said, per the AP. However, the town near Iceland's main airport was evacuated in November after strong seismic activity damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption. Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years.
The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe. But the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 30 miles southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, wasn't expected to release large amounts of ash into the air. Iceland's foreign minister, Bjarne Benediktsson, said that there were no disruptions of flights to and from the country and that international flight corridors remain open. Icelandic broadcaster RUV showed a live feed of the eruption on its website. Christmas carols played in the background.
The November evacuation of Grindavik meant few people were near the site of eruption when it occurred, and authorities have warned others to stay away. So far, the town and its vital power plant is safe. "I think it's very difficult to say anything when nature is involved, but as it seems to be drawing up this morning, we seem to have been quite lucky with the location and development (of the eruption), and we hope that will continue," Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, the infrastructure minister, told RUV. (More Iceland volcano stories.)
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