<p>A volcano erupted in Iceland near the capital Reykjavik on Wednesday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said as live images on local media showed lava spewing out of a fissure in the ground.</p>.<p>The eruption was some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Reykjavik, near the site of the Mount Fagradalsfjall volcano that erupted for six months in March-September 2021, mesmerising tourists and spectators who flocked to the scene.</p>.<p>"Eruption has started near Fagradalsfjall. Exact location has yet to be confirmed," the IMO, which monitors seismic activity, wrote on Twitter.</p>.<p>It later said the eruption started in the valley of "Meradalir, about 1.5 km north of Stora Hrut".</p>.<p>While there was no ash plume, the IMO said it was "possible that pollution can be detected due to the gas release".</p>.<p>No airline flights were currently affected, Iceland's national airport authority told AFP.</p>.<p>Mount Fagradalsfjall belongs to the Krysuvik volcanic system on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland.</p>.<p>Iceland has 32 volcanic systems currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. The country has had an eruption every five years on average.</p>.<p>The vast island near the Arctic Circle straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack on the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.</p>.<p>The shifting of these plates is in part responsible for Iceland's intense volcanic activity.</p>
<p>A volcano erupted in Iceland near the capital Reykjavik on Wednesday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said as live images on local media showed lava spewing out of a fissure in the ground.</p>.<p>The eruption was some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Reykjavik, near the site of the Mount Fagradalsfjall volcano that erupted for six months in March-September 2021, mesmerising tourists and spectators who flocked to the scene.</p>.<p>"Eruption has started near Fagradalsfjall. Exact location has yet to be confirmed," the IMO, which monitors seismic activity, wrote on Twitter.</p>.<p>It later said the eruption started in the valley of "Meradalir, about 1.5 km north of Stora Hrut".</p>.<p>While there was no ash plume, the IMO said it was "possible that pollution can be detected due to the gas release".</p>.<p>No airline flights were currently affected, Iceland's national airport authority told AFP.</p>.<p>Mount Fagradalsfjall belongs to the Krysuvik volcanic system on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland.</p>.<p>Iceland has 32 volcanic systems currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. The country has had an eruption every five years on average.</p>.<p>The vast island near the Arctic Circle straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack on the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.</p>.<p>The shifting of these plates is in part responsible for Iceland's intense volcanic activity.</p>