Volcano erupts in southwest Iceland
Sunday, January 14, 2024

A volcano in southwest Iceland erupted on Sunday, January 13, the country's meteorological office said, making it the fifth eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021.

According to reports, the latest eruption happened along a row of volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where a fissure opened up in December and erupted, creating a river of lava.

Iceland’s National Commissioner of Police ordered residents in the fishing town of Grindavík, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital city Reykjavík on the Reykjanes peninsula, first evacuated in November, to evacuate again by Monday night after volcanic fissures opened on roads in the area.

Iceland, a country accustomed to volcanic eruptions, is home to 32 active volcanoes.

It sits on a tectonic plate boundary that continually splits apart.