Icelands volcanic eruption slows as lava flows from second fissure [Video]

Icelandic authorities said Friday that a second fissure had formed on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, but volcanic activity had decreased 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.

In an later update, the agency said that “the intensity of the eruption has decreased significantly since yesterday.”

It added that the “most active fissure is the one which opened during the night.”

This is the sixth eruption to hit the area since December, …