Iceland volcano send lava spraying 60m into air

Iceland's largest volcano has erupted spectacularly, sending columns of lava up to 60m into the air and disrupting flights.

The breath-taking blasts took place yesterday on a lava field on the north side of the Badarbunga volcano and was 50 times more powerful than Friday's eruption, according to Iceland's Met Office.

At one point lava was flowing from the fissure at more than 6 million litres a minute, roughly double the rate at which water flows over the Niagara Falls.

The volcano, located in Iceland's southeast, has experienced almost daily tremors since the middle of last month, leading to fears it was poised to blow.

The Met Office raised its ash warning for aviation to its highest level but later downgraded it, saying the eruption was not causing ash.

Source: BBC, CBS

Author: Martin Zavan, Approving editor: Kieran Campbell