Icelands volanic eruption expands as lava flows from second fissure [Video]

Icelandic authorities said Friday that a second fissure had formed on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula after lava started spewing forth for the sixth time in the region since December.

After weeks of warnings, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said Thursday that a new eruption had started at 9:26 pm (2126 GMT) that evening, following a series of earthquakes.

Video images showed orange lava bursting out of a long fissure, which the IMO estimated to be 3.9 kilometres (2.4 miles).

Early Friday, the IMO announced on social media that a second fissure had opened up to the north of the original one.

However, it said the volcanic activity mostly remained on the first crack.

The weather agency, which also monitors geological events, had previously reported that there was “considerable seismic activity” at the northern end of the fissure.

About an hour after the eruption started an earthquake with a magnitude of …