Iceland volcano eruption: will it spark a flight crisis and how long will it last?

As a 2.5-mile fissure opens up in the Earth’s crust spewing jets of lava, we look at the local and international implications

• Iceland volcano – live updates

At 10.17pm local time (22.17 GMT) on Monday, a volcanic eruption began north of Grindavík on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. It came after weeks of intense earthquake activity and has been described as “amongst the most spectacular ever seen”.

So what has caused it, and what happens next?