• Paddle boarders surf among ash-covered icebergs in Iceland

    Ingolfur Juliusson / Reuters

    Surfers paddle past icebergs covered in ash from the Grimsvotn volcano eruption, in the glacier lagoon at the base of Vatnajokull, Iceland, May 26. Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano is producing mostly steam rather than ash and should calm down within a few days, national police said on Thursday encouraging hopes there will be no further disruption to flights in northern Europe.

    Ingolfur Juliusson / Reuters

    Ingolfur Juliusson / Reuters

    The Grimsvotn volcano has made for some incredible images, and apparently is becoming less of a threat. 

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  • Stunning photos: Close-up capturing Iceland's erupting volcano

    Jon Gustafsson

    The Grimsvotn volcano erupting on Saturday, May 21.

    Photographer Jon Gustafsson captured these powerful images of the Grimsvotn volcano erupting on Saturday.

    Gustafsson writes:  "It took us 90 minutes to fly to Grimsvotn with a strong wind against us. The eruption looked magnificent in the sunset. We got there at 11 pm. Once we landed 5 miles away from the crater the cold air hit us like a truck. We tried to work outside but I only lasted for a couple of minutes. Pilot Reynir Petursson also didn't want to stay on the ground for too long since it was very windy and the ash fall was unpredictable. The light was also disappearing and he needs visual reference which is difficult on a white glacier. Once we got off the ground again we had to stay low because there were so many lightnings all around the eruption. Getting hit by a lightning in that strong wind, extreme frost and next to a live volcano was not desirable."

    Jon Gustafsson/AP

    Smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano on Saturday, May 21. Grimsvotn volcano lies under the Vatnajokull glacier, about 120 miles east of the capital, Rejkjavik, which began erupting Saturday for the first time since 2004.

    Jon Gustafsson / AP

    In this photo taken on Saturday, May 21, 2011, smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano, which lies under the Vatnajokull glacier, about 120 miles, (200 kilometers) east of the capital, Rejkjavik, which began erupting Saturday for the first time since 2004. Iceland closed its main international airport and canceled domestic flights Sunday as a powerful volcanic eruption sent a plume of ash, smoke and steam 12 miles (20 kilometers) into the air.

    Jon Gustafsson

    Gustafsson talks with TODAY.com's Dara Brown about the stunning images he took within two hours and two miles of the eruption, in the video below. 

    Photographer Jon Gustafsson captures stunning images of Iceland's erupting volcano. Gustafsson talks with TODAY.com's Dara Brown about the amazing and violent images he captured within two hours and two miles of the eruption.

  • Scott Heppell / AP

    A passenger sleeps with her head on her knees on the floor as flights were canceled at Edinburgh Airport in Scotland on May 24. A dense ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano blew toward Scotland, causing airlines to cancel Tuesday flights and raising fears of a repeat of last year's travel disruptions in Europe that stranded millions of passengers.

    Ash from Icelandic volcano leaves travelers stranded at Scottish airports

    Read more about the flight disruptions caused by ash from the Grimsvotn volcano.

  • Jon Magnusson / Getty Images Contributor

    The eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano sends thousands of tonnes of volcanic ash into the sky on May 23 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 insist that this Grimsvotn poses a lesser threat.

    Ash clouds creep toward Scandinavia, Europe

    By Rich Shulman

    This looks a bit like a tornado, but it's a low angle view of the volcanic ash cloud. Full story.

    Fears about the cloud forced President Obama to cut his visit to Ireland short and fly to London.

    Yesterday's PhotoBlog post.


  • Egill Adalsteinsson / EPA

    Aerial view shows the eruption of the volcano Grimsvotn in the south-east of Iceland, May 21. Iceland closed its main international airport May 22 following the eruption of a volcano in the south-east of the country, aviation authorities said. The decision also affected other Icelandic airports, while transatlantic flights would be diverted south of Iceland, according to a spokesperson of the aviation authority Isavia. The Grimsvotn volcano began to erupt on Saturday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. But the prevailing winds suggested that the Grimsvotn ash cloud would in the coming days blow north and not affect mainland Europe.

    Volcano diverts transatlantic flights south of Iceland

    Read more about the eruption here.