Icelandic volcano blows its top in spectacular style on Reykjanes Peninsula

After weeks of intensive seismic activity, a volcano has erupted on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula in Southwest Iceland.

The skies over the capital Reykjavik have turned orange and rescue services remain on high alert. More than 4,000 local residents have been evacuated from the vicinity of the eruption.

The molten lava flows lit up the night sky spectacularly as steam, smoke and ash billowed from thousands of vents.

The eruption began north of town of Grindavik on Monday at 22:17 local time, according to the Icelandic Met Office.

It can be seen from Reykjavik, which is 42 kilometres further north of Grindavik.

The volcano sports a 3.5 kilometre crack through which lava flows at a rate of 100 to 200 cubic meters per second.

While spectacular, eruptions are not uncommon in the Nordic country, which has 33 active volcanoes.

The eruption comes after numerous powerful earthquakes on the Peninsula began on October 24 as a result of what is called a “magmatic intrusion” beneath the region’s surface.

The frequency and strength of the earthquakes grew substantially on November 10, with 20,000 tremors registered at that time, the largest of which exceeded magnitude 5.3 on seismographic measurements.

The Icelandic Government declared on December 19 that the volcanic explosion “does not pose a threat to life” and experts predicted that Grindavk would be spared as the lava seemed to be flowing away from the town.