GRINDAVIK – A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland has erupted for the seventh time since December.

The eruption began without warning at 11:14 p.m. Wednesday and created a fissure about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long. Activity is estimated to be considerably lower than the previous eruption in August, said the Icelandic weather office which monitors seismic activity.

“Overall, it’s a little smaller than the last eruption and the one that happened in May,” Tumi Guðmundsson, a geophysics professor who flew over the site with the civil protection agency to monitor the event. national broadcaster RUV.

Although the eruption poses no threat to air travel, authorities have warned of gas emissions in parts of the peninsula, including the neighboring town of Grindavík.

Around fifty houses were evacuated after the alert from Civil Protection, as well as guests of the famous Blue Lagoon resortaccording to RUV.

THE repeated volcanic eruptions near Grindavíkwhich is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, and has a population of 3,800, damaged infrastructure and property and forced many residents to relocate to ensure their safety.

“Grindavik is not in danger as it seems and it is unlikely that this crack will last, although nothing can be ruled out,” said Magnús Tumi.

Iceland, located above a North Atlantic volcanic hotspoton average there is an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive eruption in recent times was the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010, which spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and disrupted transatlantic air travel for months.

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Keyton reported from Berlin.