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Iceland volcano erupts for the seventh time - in a year!
Image source, Reuters
Imagine living near a place where a volcano erupts not once - but seven times in a year.
That's what some people in Iceland have been experiencing, as a volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula has erupted for the seventh time since December 2023.
The Sundhn煤ks crater row is a bit different to mountainous volcanoes, as it has no tall central crater, but instead erupts by opening a long giant crack in the ground.
The small nearby fishing town of Grindavik, and a famous tourist spot called the Blue Lagoon, were evacuated for safety.
What happened during this latest Iceland volcano eruption?
There was very little warning before the volcano began erupting at 11:14pm on 20 November.
The first signs were recorded just 45 minutes before a huge crack appeared, thought to be around 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) long.
This was opened by molten underground rock called magma forcing its way through the earth's crust, Iceland's meteorological office said.
Pictures show bright yellow and orange glowing hot lava shooting up into the sky.
Magn煤s Tumi Gu冒mundsson, who is a professor of geophysics, flew over the scene.
Speaking to national broadcaster RUV, she said: 鈥淕rindav铆k is not in danger as it looks and it is unlikely that this crack will get any longer, although nothing can be ruled out鈥.
This eruption is estimated to be much smaller than the last one back in August.
Image source, Dave King
Why are these volcanic eruptions happening in Iceland?
Iceland is on the fault line between two slow moving plates that make up the Earth's crust called tectonic plates. This makes it a volcanic hotspot.
The Reykjanes Peninsula has seen a string of eruptions since 2021, when geological systems that were not active for 800 years became active again.
It's now the tenth time the volcano has erupted in three years.
Experts say the region, which is close to Iceland's capital city of Reykjavik, could experience these types of breakout eruptions for decades or even centuries to come.