Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano, situated on the Reykjanes peninsula within the south-west of the nation, has erupted after weeks of earthquake exercise.

The eruption began on 18 December at 22:17 native time, after a sequence of small earthquakes within the hour earlier than. Huge plumes of smoke and spews of lava have since been flowing from an almost 4 kilometre (2.5 miles) lengthy volcanic fissure.

Residents within the area have been bracing themselves for the eruption for the previous couple of months, with heightened seismic exercise since late October. In November, the 4000 residents of Grindavík – a city 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the volcano – have been evacuated after experiencing a swarm of greater than 1000 earthquakes.

The eruption is ongoing, although the most recent replace from the Icelandic met workplace states that the dimensions of the volcanic eruption has decreased since yesterday night. “The lava stream is estimated to be about one-quarter of what it was at first of the eruption on 18 December,” in keeping with their observations.