An eruption started at 10:17 p.m. last night. A four kilometer (2,5 miles) long fissure has opened up with lava spewing up over 100 meters high with a few hundred cubic meters of lava every second. This is a lot larger than the last three eruptions in the area, where the flow was under ten cubic meters per second. The fissure lies between Mt.Stóra-Skógfell and Mt.Sýlingafell in the west and Mt.Fagradalsfjall in the east. Mt. Sýlingafell is between the fissure and the area of the geothermal power plant and the Blue Lagoon. For the lava to come close to the infrastructure, it has to run to the northwest and then again to the southwest. For the past month, there has been a lot of work going on to make a fortification around the area that will secure the infrastructure. Grindavik town, is in no imminent danger because the lava is flowing north, away from the town. In fact, for an eruption in the area, this was the best place for it to take place, not to affect any infrastructure.
As expected in an eruption like this one, it starts very big, but then usually, after a few hours, it decreases and the fissure closes in many places, leaving behind shorter fissures and a few craters that can go on for a longer time. There is no way of knowing for how long an eruption like this will go on. Fortunately, there is no imminent danger, and flights to and from Iceland have not been affected.
Above is a screenshot from the local TV station, RUV.is
See the live broadcast from the eruption here:
Sýlingafell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIs83vmfZCk
Grindavík town: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvcP4kVVOnk
Information from the Icelandic Tourist Board