OSLO — A volcano near Iceland's capital erupted late on Wednesday (Nov 20) for the tenth time in three years, spewing fountains of lava and smoke, the country's meteorological office said.

Iceland, with nearly 400,000 inhabitants, is located on the fault line between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, making it a seismic hotspot with geysers, warm-water springs and dozens of volcanoes.

As magma accumulated underground, authorities had warned of imminent volcanic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula, some 30km south-west of the capital Reykjavik, where the most recent eruption ended only on Sept 6.

The outbreaks on the Reykjanes peninsula, known as fissure eruptions, have not directly affected the capital city and do not cause significant dispersal of ash into the stratosphere, avoiding air traffic disruption.

Lying dormant for 800 years, the geological systems in the area reactivated in 2021 and have since erupted at rising frequency, with the latest outbreak being the sixth so far in 2024.

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