Slideshow: Winter's frozen splendor

The eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano sends thousands of tonnes of volcanic ash into the sky on May 23, 2011 above Iceland. The cloud has forced the closure of Icelandic airspace and spread fears of a repeat of the global travel chaos that was caused by last year's Icelandic eruption, although authorities inisist that this Grimsvotn poses a lesser threat.

The Tungurahua volcano erupts near Cuive Grande, Ecuador, on Monday, Dec. 6. Authorities in Ecuador downgraded a warning late Saturday for a major eruption. The alert status was reduced as activity subsided.

A satellite image shows the eruption and lava flow of Mount Merapi, Indonesia, Nov. 12, 2010. Indonesia's president will cut short his trip to the G20 summit meeting in order to oversee the response to a deadly volcanic eruption at home, he said on Thursday. Volcano Mount Merapi, on the outskirts of Yogyakarta city in Central Java, began spewing searing hot gas and ash clouds more than two weeks ago, since then it has killed 194 people and displaced more than 320,000, as well as disrupted flights.

Smoke and dust are seen following a landslide after a volcanic eruption on Lipari Island, Italy on Aug. 16, 2010. Several people were initially said to have suffered cuts and bruises after rocks tumbled off a cliff but a crisis unit stressed that no one had been taken to hospital for treatment. The epicenter of an accompanying 4.6 magnitude tremor was located under the seabed at a depth of about 12 miles. The quake hit the area just after 3 pm (local time) and was "clearly felt" by inhabitants, many of whom left their homes.