A volcano has erupted near Iceland’s capital, sending molten lava flowing after a strong earthquake rocked the nation earlier today. The eruption started earlier this afternoon around 30 miles from Reykjavík, the nation's capital, in the Reykjanes peninsula.
It followed a massive 5.2-magnitude earthquake recorded earlier today in the country. Experts had been expecting an impending eruption after more than 1,500 smaller quakes were recorded in recent days.
Geophysics professor Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson said: "The lava that comes up there flows to the south and then has quite a long way to go down to the road, quite a few kilometres. We can say that considering the possible effects, this is not an unfortunate place for an eruption. This can change.
"We are just looking at the beginning and we just have to wait and see what happens."
Locals have been urged to take care when driving and avoid going near the scene of the eruption. It has been confirmed the main airport, Keflavik, is currently not affected by the volcano.
Kristín Elísa Guðmundsdóttir, a natural disaster expert at Iceland's Meteorological Office (IMO), said the eruption is happening "exactly where we expected". Matthew Roberts of the service and research division at the IMO, said: "At the moment, it's a very small eruption."
He added there is currently no direct hazard to people in the region. Last month it was reported a supervolcano which has lain dormant for hundreds of years is feared to be gearing up for a massive eruption which could create a “mini ice age” for part of the planet.
Campi Flegrei near Naples in southern Italy last erupted in 1538 and has recently shown signs which have concerned scientists. The huge volcano is only visible from the skies and currently home to around 360,000 people who live on its roof and may need to be evacuated.
Experts say it has been restless for decades, with tens of thousands of small earth tremors detected. A nearby town of Pozzuoli has been lifted around 13ft in the same period with the evidence suggesting the supervolcano is close to breaking point.
Lead author Professor Christopher Kilburn from UCL Earth Sciences said: “Our new study confirms that Campi Flegrei is moving closer to rupture. However, this does not mean an eruption is guaranteed.
"The rupture may open a crack through the crust, but the magma still needs to be pushing up at the right location for an eruption to occur. This is the first time we have applied our model, which is based on the physics of how rocks break, in real-time to any volcano.
“Our first use of the model was in 2017 and since then Campi Flegrei has behaved as we predicted, with an increasing number of small earthquakes indicating pressure from below.
