14 Photos That Show A Volcano Erupting In Iceland Last Night Following An "Earthquake Swarm"

    By Tuesday, the Icelandic Met Office reported the intensity of the eruption had diminished.

    1. On Monday evening, a volcano began erupting on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland.

    Smoke and lava

    2. According to the Icelandic Met Office, the eruption occurred 3 km (about 1.86 miles) outside of the town of Grindavík, which had been evacuated.

    Aerial view of the lava flow

    3. Grindavík is roughly 25 miles southwest of Reykjavík, Iceland's capital and largest city.

    Smoke rising into the air

    4. Both the New York Times and the Guardian reported that local officials said the eruption does not currently pose a risk to people in the area.

    Smoke rising from a volcano

    5. The eruption followed an "earthquake swarm," according to the Met Office. An earthquake swarm is a series of small earthquakes in one area.

    Aerial view of the lava and smoke

    6. This made Monday's eruption somewhat predicted as earthquake swarms can precede volcanic activity.

    Aerial view of the smoke and lava

    7. By Tuesday morning, the Met Office said the volcanic eruption had diminished and was continuing to do so, with the lava flow believed to be "about one-quarter of what it was at the beginning of the eruption."

    Smoke rising from the volcano

    8. About one third of the original fissure is thought to be active as of Tuesday morning.

    Smoke rising from a volcano

    9. "The lava fountains are also lower than at the start of the eruption, reaching about 30 meters at their highest," the Met Office said.

    Smoke rising from a volcano

    10. Here's the volcanic plume as seen on Monday night from Hafnarfjordur, a village northeast of the eruption.

    View of the volcano from Hafnarfjordur

    11. An orange haze in the sky could be seen on Monday near the town of Keflavík, close to the Keflavík International Airport, the country's largest airport.

    View from Keflavík

    12. The seismic event attracted people...

    Silhouettes of people against the volcanic smoke

    13. ...who took in sights of the plumes...

    People watching the volcano

    14. ...thankfully from what appears to be a good distance away.

    People watching the volcano