A volcano has erupted on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and putting the country’s civil defence on high alert.
The eruption appears to have occurred about 2.4 miles from the town of Grindavik, which was evacuated in November after strong seismic activity damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption.
Grainy webcam video showed the moment of the eruption as a flash of light illuminating the sky at 10:17 p.m. on December 18.
As the eruption spread, magma, or semi-molten rock, could be seen spewing along the ridge of a hill.
A scientist who flew over the site on the morning of December 19 told Icelandic broadcaster RUV that he estimates twice as much lava had already spewed than the entire monthlong eruption on the peninsula this summer.
The area had seen thousands of earthquakes in the last two months - but the magnitudes had declined in recent weeks, leading some experts to think the risk of an eruption had abated.
The government released a statement saying the eruption does not present a threat to life.
Reykjanes' geographical condition
Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a 500-750-metre-long (1,640-2,460-foot-long) fissure in the ground in the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.