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A volcano in Iceland is now erupting after weeks of earthquakes rocking the region, according to a statement released by the Iceland Met Office on Monday (Dec. 18).
The eruption is happening on the country’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula. About 4,000 people were evacuated from Grindavik, a fishing town village on the peninsula, and authorities also closed the town’s Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, according to Reuters.
“An eruption has started north of Grindavík,” according to the Met Office’s statement. “It can be seen on webcams and seems to be located close to Hagafell, about 3 km [1.8 miles] north of Grindavík. The eruption began at 22.17 [5:17 p.m. EST Eastern Time] following the earthquake swarm that started around 21.”
Related: Iceland volcano LIVE: Risk of eruption appears to be decreasing
The Met Office added that a coast guard helicopter would soon take off “to confirm the exact location and size of the eruption.”
The eruption is part of a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity on Reykjanes peninsula and a sign that the area will likely see eruptions for centuries, Edward W. Marshall, a researcher at the University of Iceland’s Nordic Volcanological Center, previously told Live Science in an email.
Hundreds of daily earthquakes began rattling the region in October, prompting scientists to think that an eruption was imminent. Grindavík was previously excavated on Nov. 10 due to fears of an eruption. More recently, between Dec. 12 and Dec. 15, 460 earthquakes hit the area; of these, 30 had a magnitude greater than 1.0, according to the Met Office.
This article will be updated as more information emerges.
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