A volcano in Iceland erupted on Sunday, after hundreds of earthquakes shook the Reykjanes Peninsula, cracking open a fissure that sent lava spewing into a residential neighborhood for the first time in more than four decades.\

The eruption happened around 8 a.m. local time near Hagafell, a mountain peak north of the town of Grindavik, according to local news media and the nation’s civil defense agency. It created a fissure in the earth more than 3,200 feet long, with glowing lava bubbling through, the authorities said. That crack has continued to lengthen in the hours since, the authorities said.

Last month a larger eruption threatened the town and a nearby power plant. While the eruption on Sunday was smaller, it caused greater havoc when lava began to flow into Grindavik, about 30 miles southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.

Around 3 a.m. Sunday, at least 200 earthquakes began striking the area near Grindavik, a fishing town of about 3,500 people, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Hours later, a second smaller fissure, measuring about 492 feet, opened up on the town’s edge. A live broadcast on Icelandic television showed fountains of lava spurting near homes.