eyjafjallajokull volcano

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.