1) Eyjafjallajokull is a volcano located in southwest Iceland that had been dormant for 200 years before erupting. 2) The eruption ripped a 1km long fissure in the volcano's ice cap and shot ash up to 11,000 meters high, directly in the flight path of commercial airplanes. 3) Millions of travelers faced disruption as the ash cloud from the eruption moved further south and east across Europe, forcing countries to extend flight bans into the following week due to winds continuing to carry the ash cloud across the region.

1. EyjafjallajokullVolcano Helga design

2. Eyjafjallajokull before eruptions

5. 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.

11. ImagesfromNASAand I nternationalPress

19. The eruption under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier has sparked floods

23. 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," TeiturArason, a meteorologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told AFP.