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| - A volcano erupted in Iceland some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the capital Reykjavik on Friday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said, as a red cloud lit up the night sky and a no-fly zone was established in the area. "Volcanic eruption has begun in Fagradalsfjall. Flight colour code is red but very little turbulence is seen on seismometers," the institute, which monitors seismic activity, wrote on Twitter. The Krysuvik volcanic system is located south of Mount Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland. "The first notification was received by the Meteorological Office at 2140 GMT. The eruption was confirmed through webcams and satellite images," the institute said on its website. While Iceland's Keflavik International Airport and the small fishing port of Grindavik are only just a few kilometres away, the area is uninhabited and the eruption was not expected to present any danger. Volcanic eruptions in the region are known as effusive eruptions, where lava flows steadily out of the ground, as opposed to explosive ones which spew ash clouds high into the sky. The Krysuvik volcanic system has been inactive for the past 900 years, according to the Meteorological Office, while the last eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula dates back almost 800 years, to 1240. But the region has been under increased surveillance for several weeks after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake was registered on February 24 on the outskirts of Reykjavik, followed by an unusual number of smaller tremors -- more than 50,000, the highest number since digital recordings began in 1991. str/po/dl
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