Eyjafjallajökull (pronounce: "EI-ya-fya-LLA-yo-kull) is a volcano in Iceland. The name means "island-mountains glacier".
The south end of the mountain was once part of the coastline of the Atlantic ocean. The sea gradually moved about 5km south. Now there are beautiful steep cliffs and waterfalls.
The volcano erupted several times in 1821 and 1822. Some cattle and sheep died, presumably because of fluoride poisoning.
Around Christmas 2009 the volcano started to show signs of being active again. On 27 March 2010 it started to erupt. On 14 April 2010 Eyjafjallajökull started to erupt heavily from the top crater in the centre of the glacier. This made meltwater floods to rush down the nearby rivers. 800 people had to be evacuated. Volcanic ash was thrown several kilometres into the atmosphere. The dust blow over northwest Europe on the 15th and 16th April 2010. It became very dangerous for aeroplanes to fly and so all commercial flights were stopped in most parts of northern Europe. This caused chaos for travellers, many of whom were trying to return home after their Easter vacation.