Photos of Iceland volcano eruption show lava fountains, miles-long crack in Earth south of Grindavik

Benjamin Hughes

Iceland’s volcanic eruption could last months

Iceland’s volcano continues to spew lava, and eruption could last months

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A volcano in southern Iceland, near Grindavik, began erupting in spectacular fashion Monday night following weeks of warning signs, including thousands of earthquakes.

Iceland’s Meteorological Office said the eruption opened an approximately 2.5-mile-long fissure and created lava fountains up to 98 feet high.

Last month, the 3,400 residents of the fishing village of Grindavík, the town nearest the volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, were evacuated in anticipation of the pending eruption.

Faris Tanyos

Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.

Source: cbsnews.com