Iceland volcano spewing lava

After weeks of intense earthquake activity, a volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland.

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Winding Road, Trey Ratcliff

Stuck in Customs

 

It's absolutely breath-taking.

Thousands have flocked to a volcano in Iceland which erupted near the capital, Reykjavik. Lava started to burst through a crack in Mount Fagradalsfjall on Friday evening, in the first eruption of its kind in more than 800 years. The site was initially blocked off, but from Saturday afternoon people were allowed to make the trek. "It's absolutely breath-taking," Ulvar Kari Johannsson, a 21-year-old engineer, told the AFP news agency. "It smells pretty bad. For me what was surprising was the colours of the orange: much, much deeper than what one would expect," he added.

   

  Scientists at the foot of the volcano were filmed cooking sausages on its lava as they studied the eruption.

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Everyone here is so tired.

Icelanders are yearning for some undisturbed shut-eye after tremors from tens of thousands of earthquakes have rattled their sleep for weeks in what scientists call an unprecedented seismic event, which might well end in a spectacular volcanic eruption. Grindavik lies in the southern part of the Reykjanes peninsula, a volcanic and seismic hotspot, where more than 40,000 earthquakes have occurred since 24 February – exceeding the total number of earthquakes registered there last year.

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