Volcano erupts on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula weeks after evacuation
Newsy
A volcano has erupted in Iceland about 1.8 miles from a town that was evacuated weeks ago in preparation for the event.
A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the civil defense to be put on high alert.
The eruption appears to have occurred about 2.4 miles from the town of Grindavík, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
Grainy webcam video showed the moment of the eruption as a flash of light illuminating the sky at 22:17 local time. As the eruption spread, magma, or semi-molten rock, could be seen spewing along the ridge of a hill.
"The magma flow seems to be at least a hundred cubic meters per second, maybe more, so this would be considered a big eruption in this area at least," Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management told the Icelandic public broadcaster, RUV.
A coast guard helicopter will attempt to confirm the exact location and size of the eruption.
