Vilhelm Gunnarsson / Getty Images
After a series of earthquakes in Iceland, the long-dormant volcano Fagradalsfjall erupted on Friday night. The volcano is located nearly 40 miles outside of Reykjavik, the nearest city and the country’s capital, and didn’t threaten any lives or infrastructure damage.
“Currently, gas pollution is not expected to cause much discomfort for people except close up to the source of the eruption,” tweeted the Icelandic Meteorological Service this morning. “The gas emissions will be monitored closely.”
🌋 Fagradalsfjall volcano, which has just started to erupt, is on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland. The eruption was preceded by a swarm of earthquakes, as we noted several days ago.
https://t.co/5x8FBokq7V https://t.co/t4EWTnjPHB
Images of the eruption immediately flooded social media as Iceland residents saw lava and ash from the volcano light up the sky.
Vilhelm Gunnarsson / Getty Images
The country’s Minister of Justice, Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, took a trip to the volcano as the eruption began to monitor the situation. Sigurbjörnsdóttir posted photos and a live video from the helicopter showing lava oozing down from the eruption.
Photo I took tonight over the volcanic eruption at Reykjanes Iceland. We are monitoring the situation closely and as of now it is not considered a threat to surrounding towns. 🌋🇮🇸 #Iceland
Local news outlet also Ruv has a live feed of the volcano.
Reykjavik residents posted surreal photos of a red glow in the sky showing Fagradalsfjall erupting.
The eruption also caused a rush of visitors trying to witness the event.
Among them was Icelandic singer Björk who said on Instagram that the volcano, where she once filmed a music video, was 30 minutes away from her house.
“YESSS !! , eruption !! we in iceland are sooo excited !!! we still got it !!! sense of relief when nature expresses herself !!!” she posted.
The Icelandic Coast Guard service has also been keeping a close eye on the situation, posting photos, videos, and updates from the scene.
On Saturday morning, one employee met a dog who joined in on the sightseeing.
Local photographers also rushed to the scene, sharing incredible photos.
One person posted a video on what she said was the first commercial flight to the site of the eruption. “This is the most magical thing I’ve every experienced in my life. I literally cried!!” she said on Instagram.
Flights to Fagradalsfjall appeared to have been busy, as people took in the volcano in all its glory as soon as the sun came up.
One person posted a photo of beautifully lit sky, saying, “What you see here is not a sunset but a volcanic eruption at Fagradalsfjall.”
According to the country’s Meteorological Office, “The eruption is small and the volcanic activity has somewhat decreased since yesterday evening.”
“Lava fountains are small and lava flows are currently a very local hazard,” officials tweeted.
Icelandic Coast Guard / Getty Images