London | Iceland's Meteorological Office says a volcano is erupting in the southwestern part of the country, sending semi-molten rock spewing toward a nearby settlement for the third time in recent weeks.

The eruption began after an intense burst of seismic activity at 5:30 am local time Thursday.

A Coast Guard surveillance flight report suggested the eruption was taking place in the same area as one that happened on Dec 18.

Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.