Volcano begins erupting in an uninhabited valley in southwest Iceland

Iceland's volcano near Reykjavik has erupted again, 11 months after its last eruption. Keflavik Airport remains open and no flights affected. The 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption caused airspace closures and stranded millions of travelers. Iceland averages an eruption every 4-5 yrs. #Reykjavik #Iceland #Volcano #Eruption #KeflavikAirport #Eyjafjallajokull #AirspaceClosures #StrandedTravelers

A volcano in southwestern Iceland began erupting on July 10, the country's meteorological authorities said, 11 months after its last eruption officially ended.

The eruption is in an uninhabited valley near the mountain Litli-Hrútur, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.

The area, known broadly as Fagradalsfjall volcano, has erupted twice in the last two years without causing damage or disruptions to flights despite being near Keflavik Airport, Iceland's international air traffic hub.

The airport remained open Monday and no flights were affected.

“The lava fissure appears small at first sight,” television reporter Kristjan Unnarsson, who was aboard a helicopter about an hour after the eruption began Monday afternoon, told viewers.

Authorities urged people not to trek to the volcano.

“It is not a little hike,” Kristin Gudmundsdottir, a natural hazard specialist at the Met Office, told AP. “We need to wait and see how the eruption develops.”