YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. A volcano erupted near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik on Friday, shooting lava high into the night sky after thousands of small earthquakes in recent weeks, Reuters reports.

The eruption occurred near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula, around 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the capital.

Some four hours after the initial eruption at 2045 GMT - the first on the peninsula since the 12th century - lava covered about one square kilometer or nearly 200 football fields.

A fissure 500 to 750 meters (547 to 820 yards) long opened at the eruption site, spewing lava fountains up to 100 meters (110 yards) high, Bjarki Friis of the meteorological office said.

Inbound and outgoing air traffic had been halted from Keflavik International Airport, the country's largest, servicing the capital, Deutsche Welle reported citing the local media.

First video showing the eruption in #iceland Reykjanes Peninsula pic.twitter.com/qB7jwcNu8X

— Trawire.com (@trawire) March 19, 2021