Iceland volcano erupts for third time in two months

Lava began spewing from the fissure at approximately 6am local time on Thursday

A volcano is erupting near a town in the south-western part of Iceland, the country’s Meteorological Office said.

Lava began spewing from the fissure at approximately 6am local time on Thursday.

The Icelandic Met Office said lava was flowing to the west and there was no immediate threat to the town of Grindavik, which was evacuated after a previous eruption late last year, or to a major power plant in the area.

This is the third eruption since December in the volcanic system Reykjanes Peninsula, which is home to Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport.

The nearby Blue Lagoon thermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, was closed when the eruption began and guests were evacuated to hotels.

Coast Guard surveillance indicated the eruption was taking place in the same area as two that occurred in December and January.

Iceland sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic and 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.

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