Reykjavík, 11 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) — For the third year in a row, Iceland has seen a spectacular volcanic eruption near the country's main international airport.

The eruption began late Monday afternoon on the same peninsula south-west of the capital Reykjavík where bubbling and spurting lava had made its way to the Earth's surface in the previous two years.

It is unclear how long the renewed natural spectacle, which appeared to be ebbing on Tuesday, will be visible. According to the Icelandic government, there will be no disruption to air traffic.

The eruption began around 4:40 pm (1640 GMT) on Monday directly north-west of the mountain Litli-Hrútur on the sparsely populated Reykjanes Peninsula, the Icelandic meteorological authority announced.

A 900-metre fissure opened up, and the lava initially was flowing much faster than in previous eruptions there.

But activity decreased quite significantly on Tuesday, as shown by live footage from the volcanic area.

"It has now evolved into a weak eruption, which is very good news," leading geophysicist Magnús Tumi Gudmundsson told Icelandic broadcaster RÚV on Tuesday.

The crack has shortened considerably and the flow of lava has decreased, as has the development of gas. Fortunately, the eruption is not developing as it looked in the first few hours. "This is a much more humane outbreak," Gudmundsson explained.

The eruption was not what many people imagine a classic volcanic eruption to look like. Instead of lava shooting into the air from a cone-shaped volcano, the lava gushed from an elongated fissure in the ground, known as a fissure eruption.

Live footage from the area showed thick plumes of smoke above the glowing lava.

Travellers were advised to avoid the area until experts had assessed conditions.

The eruption is about 40 kilometres from Reykjavík at the south-western tip of the island, not far from the capital's main international airport.

If the eruption continues, the spectacle could again attract crowds of onlookers including volcano experts and tourists - just like during the previous eruptions in 2021 and 2022.

How things will develop this time is unclear. "We have no idea how long this eruption will last and how it will behave exactly," said volcano expert Gudmundsson.

In all likelihood it will not be large, he explained, but it may well last a long time. The eruption in 2021 lasted a good six months, in 2022 only a few weeks.

The previous volcanic eruptions in August 2022 and before that in March 2021 were preceded by numerous earthquakes.