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Iceland volcano erupts for first time in 6,000 years

An Icelandic volcano in the Fagradals Mountains dormant for 6,000 years erupted Friday night, with lava seeping from two sides in opposite directions.

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It is the first volcanic eruption in 781 years on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Its glow could be seen nearly 20 miles away in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital.

The eruption is not considered a threat to any city or towns.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office considered it a small eruption and said on Saturday that its activity has decreased. The agency said the fissure is about 2,200 feet long and the lava area is about a 1/3 square mile.

The Department of Emergency Management was not anticipating evacuations because the activity is in a remote valley more than 1 mile from the nearest road.

Southwest Iceland has been hit with thousands of small earthquakes since Feb. 24 including many that registered at 3.0 magnitude or higher, a threshold where they could be felt, CBS News reported. A day before the eruption more than 400 earthquakes were reported over seven hours.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.