Volcano eruption begins in Iceland

Iceland’s most active volcano has begun erupting, these eruptions come just over a year after another eruption in Iceland caused European air traffic to shut down for weeks.

Iceland's Meteorological Office confirmed that an eruption had begun on Saturday at the Grimsvotn volcano, together with a series of small earthquakes.

Grimsvoetn is Iceland's most active volcano, erupting nine times between 1922 and 2004. It is situated beneath the Vatnajoekull glacier in the southeast of Iceland.

In April last year, the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjoell volcano shut down large proportions of European airspace for almost a month due to the risk of aircraft damage from the volcanic ash.

When the Grimsvoetn volcano last erupted in 2004, volcanic ash fell as far away as mainland Europe, causing cancellations of flights to and from Iceland.

Whether this eruption will have the same outcome (airspace disruptions) as the eruption last year depends on how long the eruptions last, how high the ash plume climbs and which way the wind blows.