The volcano on Mount Fagradals in southwestern Iceland had been dormant for 6,000 years. But Friday night, following weeks of earthquakes in the area, the volcano came to life.
The eruption is the first to experience the Reykjanes Peninsula, where the volcano is located, in 781 years.
The video of the eruption shows the bright lava flowing from the earth, illuminating a dark night otherwise. The lava glow could be seen up to 20 miles away from Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, according to the Associated Press and photos of the glow.
Icelandic police wrote on Twitter on Friday that people should stay inside and keep their windows closed to prevent gas pollution. When volcanoes erupt, the lava releases several potentially dangerous gases, including sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen fluoride, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Saturday morning that the pollution caused by the eruption, however, “is not expected to cause much discomfort to people, except those close to the source of the eruption.”
On its website, the office said that “no volcanic ash is detected, but high levels of volcanic gas were measured near the site of the eruption.” Scientists and officials are closely monitoring the emissions.
By Saturday morning, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that volcanic activity had “somewhat decreased” since Friday night. Scientists in the department did not mention major concerns for people in the area, as the lava area is less than 1 square kilometer. The eruptive cracks – cracks in the surface of the earth from which lava comes out – are about 500 to 700 meters long, according to the office.
“Lava wells are small and lava flows are now a very local danger,” the office posted on Twitter.
The Scientific Council for Civil Protection said on Saturday morning that it did not believe the eruption posed a threat to structures.
A small earthquake occurred a few hours before the volcano erupted.
Southwest Iceland was hit with a “Swarms” of thousands of earthquakes from February 24. Dozens of them had a magnitude of 3 or greater, which means they could be felt. On Thursday, just one day before the eruption, the IMO reported that they existed 400 earthquakes within about seven hours. Despite the stretch, it was a “somewhat less” seismic activity compared to other mornings when about 1,000 earthquakes occurred.