After weeks of waiting: Large fissure as Iceland volcano erupts

After spending more than a month rumbling, a volcano in Iceland has finally erupted overnight on the Reykjanes peninsula.

The eruptive event occurred northeast of Grindavík, where residents had previously been evacuated in November after a series of earthquakes were recorded. These were the first signs of an imminent eruption, and abruptly restarted Monday.

Late Monday evening, a fissure opened in the Earth. The magma is stretching for miles, shooting lava straight up into the sky.

After the first eruption at 10:17 p.m. local time, the eruptive fissure widened to a length of around 1.8 miles within just one hour, with between 3,500 to 7,000 cubic feet of lava flowing per second.

While the initial eruption took place around 2.5 miles northeast of Grindavík, local authorities say that seismic activity is moving in the direction of the town.

Thanks to early evacuations, and limited access to the public, there are no injuries reported from the event.

Unlike the infamous 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, which closed large pockets of European airspace, disruption from Fagradalsfjall will be minimal.

The Eyjafjallajökull eruption took place beneath glacial ice, which then melted and flooded the volcano, creating an explosive event.

For now, Grindavik and the famous Blue Lagoon appear to be safe from harm, but we will monitor the situation and bring updates as we get them.

Watch events as they unfold with the livestream below: