GRINDAVIK, Iceland –

Lava continued to spew from a volcano in southwestern Iceland on Friday, marking the sixth time the volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula has erupted since December.

The eruption of a new fissure began shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday night, following a series of strong earthquakes. Within an hour, a four-kilometer-wide crack formed through the Sundhnúkur crater.

According to authorities in Iceland, the effects of the eruption are limited to certain places. Roads have been closed, but the eruption does not pose a threat to the population.

Halldór Björnsson, head of weather and climate at the Norwegian Meteorological Agency, told Icelandic news portal Vísir that unlike previous eruptions, the lava flow was not headed toward the town of Grindavik. The town was largely evacuated in December when the volcano revived after being dormant for 800 years.

“If this continues, Grindavík is not in danger,” geophysicist Magnús Tuma Guðmundsson told the website after flying over the eruption. “Of course, we don’t know what will happen in the near future, but it is likely that this has reached its peak and then it will subside, just like the other eruptions.”

Tourists and visitors try to watch the eruption from a distance at the intersection of Reykjanesbraut, Iceland, and the road to Grindavik, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco di Marco)

View of lava fountains flowing from a new eruptive fissure that has formed in the Svartsengi volcanic system, Iceland, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in a similar location to previous eruptions. The fissure is 3 km (1.9 miles) north of Grindavik. (AP Photo/Marco di Marco)

Tourists and visitors try to watch the eruption from a distance at the intersection of Reykjanesbraut, Iceland, and the road to Grindavik, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco di Marco)

As news of the eruption spread, hundreds of curious onlookers drove to nearby viewpoints to witness the stunning natural phenomenon, which has since become a major tourist attraction.

“We just thought it was the Northern Lights,” said Mahnoor Ali, visiting from Maryland, U.S. “It’s honestly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

Friends Ameerul Awalludin from Malaysia and Shohei Miyamito from Japan were with an Icelandic friend when they heard the news and quickly rushed to the site of the eruption.

“We have a volcano too,” said Miyamito, “but we can’t see lava like this.”

But for those living and working on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the frequent eruptions and subsequent evacuation orders cause more frustration than excitement.

The ongoing volcanic eruptions near Grindavík, a town of 3,800 people about 50 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik, have caused damage to infrastructure and property, and many residents have had to relocate for their safety.

The few who had returned were forced to flee again on Thursday evening as strong winds blew plumes of toxic gas over the city.

The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, was also evacuated, with sirens seen on social media going off around sunset.

The spa was closed on Friday, but staff were preparing for the reopening, Helga Árnadóttir, sales, operations and services manager, told national broadcaster RUV.

Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic Ocean, has an average of one eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive eruption in recent history was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed ash into the atmosphere and disrupted trans-Atlantic air traffic for months.

The latest eruption is not expected to affect air traffic.

Keyton reported from Berlin.