A volcano has erupted in Iceland near the capital Reykjavik after thousands of small earthquakes in the area in recent weeks, the Icelandic meteorological office has said.
A red cloud lit up the night sky after the eruption began in Fagradalsfjall on Friday about 40km from the capital Reykjavik. A no-fly zone has been established in the area but the eruption appeared to be calmer as of Saturday evening.
Streams of red lava could be seen flowing out of a crack in the ground which is estimated to be about 200 meters long.
Police and coastguard officials raced to the scene late on Friday and the public has been advised to stay away from the area.
More than 40,000 earthquakes have occurred in the area in the past four weeks, a huge jump from the 1,000-3,000 earthquakes registered each year since 2014.
The Krysuvik volcanic system does not have a central volcano. While the country’s largest airport and a small fishing port are only a few kilometers away, the area is uninhabited and the eruption is not expected to present any danger.
Volcanic eruptions in the region are known as effusive eruptions, where lava flows steadily out of the ground, as opposed to explosive ones such as that of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 which shot ash clouds high into the sky and paralyzed air traffic in Europe for weeks. However, all flights in and out of the airport have been stopped.
The Krysuvik volcanic system has been inactive for the past 900 years, according to the meteorological office, while the last eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula (半岛) dates back almost 800 years to 1240.
But the region has been closely watched for several weeks after an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 was registered on 24 February on the outskirts of Reykjavik, followed by an unusual number of smaller quakes — more than 50,000, the highest number since digital recordings began in 1991.
4. What happened before the volcano erupted?
A.Streams of lava flew out. |
B.A red cloud lip up the sky. |
C.No symptom was observed by scientist. |
D.Huge numbers of small quakes happened. |
5. Which of the following about this volcano is correct?
A.The central volcano erupted first. | B.It shot ash clouds high into the sky. |
C.The lava flew out continuously. | D.It has been active for 900 years. |
6. Why don’t people think the volcano will endanger people’s lives?
A.There are no residents near it. |
B.The airplanes fly high enough. |
C.The small fishing port has enough water. |
D.People have taken protective measures. |
7. What’s the passage mainly about?
A.Thousands of small earthquakes. | B.The eruption of a volcano. |
C.A research on a special volcano. | D.The history of a volcano. |