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Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced [ˈɛɪjaˌfjatlaˌjœkʏtl̥]) (About this sound listen (help·info)) is one of the smaller glaciers of Iceland. It is situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of the larger glacier Mýrdalsjökull.The icecap of the glacier covers a volcano (1,666 m in height) which has erupted relatively frequently since the Ice Age. The volcano erupted in March 2010, and the most recent eruption before then was from 1821 to 1823, causing a fatal[citation needed] glacier run. The volcano also erupted on April 14th 2010, causing massive disruption to air traffic across Northern Europe. Scientists claim this eruption was ten to twenty times more powerful than the previous month. A previous eruption was in 1612. The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 3–4 km and the glacier covers an area of about 100 km².
The south end of the mountain was once part of the island's Atlantic coastline. As the sea has since retreated some 5 km, the former coastline has left behind sheer cliffs with a multitude of beautiful waterfalls, the best known of them being Skógafoss. In strong winds, the water of the smaller falls can even be blown up the mountain.
Source: Wikipedia - Eyjafjallajökull
