Eyjafjallajokull
Volcano
Helga design
Eyjafjallajokull before eruptions
Eyjafjallajokull is situated in the south-west of Iceland, by the
sea and covers around 40 square miles.
The volcano, which was dormant for 200 years, has ripped a
1km-long fissure in the ice. The ash is concentrated at a
height of 6,000 metres - precisely the altitude through
which commercial airliners fly - rising at points to as high as
11,000 metres.
Images from NASA and I nternational Press
The eruption under the
Eyjafjallajokull glacier has
sparked floods
Millions of people are facing worsening travel chaos as a
volcanic ash cloud from Iceland moves further south and east, forcing European countries to
extend flight bans into next week.Winds blowing the massive cloud eastward from Iceland to Russia
will continue in the same direction for at least two days and could go on until the middle of next week,
the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
"The ash will continue to be directed towards Britain and
Scandinavia," Teitur Arason, a meteorologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told AFP.