volcanoes

A volcano in Iceland erupted Saturday evening for the fourth time in three months, sending orange jets of lava into the night sky.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the eruption began just before 8:00 a.m. local time Sunday about a half mile from the town of Grindavík after a series of intense earthquakes.

Police evacuated Grindavik in November after strong seismic activity in the area damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption. Officials said magma could continue in that direction.

Hundreds of small earthquakes have been rattling the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland as meteorologists anticipate a volcanic eruption and residents evacuate.

Lava began erupting at the Halemaʻumaʻu crater and reached heights of 13 to 30 feet and covered an area of approximately 370 acres. The biggest threat to those in the area is volcanic gas.

Data from an old NASA spacecraft reveals a volcano erupted on the surface of Venus in 1991, a new study in Science says.

Hawaii's Kilauea began erupting inside its summit crater Thursday after scientists detected a glow in webcam images inside the Halemaumau crater.

Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, began spewing molten rock Nov. 27 after being quiet for 38 years. Lava-viewers enjoyed the rare marvel of being able to see Kilauea erupting at the same time.

Monsoon rains eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop 3,676-meter (12,060-foot) Mount Semeru, causing the eruption, according to National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari.

The mountain, which is taller than Mount Everest measured from seafloor to summit, erupted Sunday. Its lava appears to be contained, but scientists say the volcano has a history of rapidly changing.