Picture by Björn Oddsson (from a Coast Guard patrol flight)

A new volcanic eruption is undergoing northeast of Sýlingarfell, the location of the fissure is in the same area as when it erupted on December 18.

At 5:30 this morning, the intensity of a small earthquake activity started northeast of Sýlingarfell. About 30 minutes later, an eruption began in the same area. For the first few minutes, the crack extended both to the north and to the south. Based on the first reports from the Coast Guard’s surveillance flight, the eruption is in the same areas as the one that erupted on December 18. The crack is about 3 km long, runs from Sundhnúk in the south to the eastern end of Stóra-Scógfell. Lava flows mostly to the west at this stage. Lava flow appears to be slightly less than at the beginning of the eruption on December 18. The jets reach a height of about 50-80 m and the plume rises to a height of about 3 km

Updated February 8 at 6:50 am

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