Iceland Volcano Erupts , for the Third Time Since December.<br />The volcano, located in southwestern Iceland, began erupting at 1 a.m. ET on Feb. 8, NBC News reports. .<br />The Blue Lagoon spa, a major tourist attraction, has been evacuated. .<br />The volcano is two and a half miles from the coastal town of Grindavik, which is home to 3,800 people.<br />The town was already evacuated due to another eruption that began on Dec. 18.<br />According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, lava is currently flowing west, leaving Grindavik and an area power plant safe for the time being.<br />According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, lava is currently flowing west, leaving Grindavik and an area power plant safe for the time being.<br />Officials warned of a possible eruption earlier this week after detecting a magma buildup below ground over the past few weeks.<br />Since Feb.2, hundreds of <br />small earthquakes have been observed.<br />A burst of seismic activity occurred about a <br />half hour before the most recent eruption began.<br />Video footage from the country's <br />coast guard depicts lava shooting over <br />165 feet into the air, NBC News reports. .<br />Volcanologist Dave McGarvie said it's "a bit of a shock that" the volcano "has come back to life," and it's not clear whether Grindavik residents will be able to permanently return home.<br />I think at the moment there is the resignation, the stoical resignation, that, for the foreseeable future, the town is basically uninhabitable, Volcanologist Dave McGarvie, via NBC News.<br />Evidence that we gathered only quite recently is that eruptions could go on for decades, if not centuries, sporadically in this particular peninsula, Volcanologist Dave McGarvie, via NBC News
