Magnificent Photos of Grimsvoetn Volcano Eruption in Iceland

The Grimsvotn volcano began erupting on Saturday, sending clouds of ash up to 12 miles into the air. The amount of ash spewing from the volcano tapered off dramatically on Tuesday, however, said Elin Jonasdottir, a forecaster at Iceland’s meteorological office. She added that because the plume has decreased in height – it’s now at about 5,000 meters (16,000 feet) – the ash won’t travel far and will most likely fall to the ground near its source. Although not as huge as the Eyjafjallajokull eruption, in April 2010, the eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano, under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland on May 21, 2012 has caused hundreds of travel delays.

Below are some stunning pictures capturing nature’s most violent phenomenon.

NASA MODIS satellite image acquired at 05:15 UTC on May 22, 2012 shows the plume casting shadow to the west.

Photo: AP Photo, Jon Gustafsson

Agust Gudbjornsson took this photo from Hrauneyjar Hotel only couple of hours after the eruption started.

A plane flies past a smoke plume resulting from the eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano, under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland, May 21, 2012. (Olafur Sigurjonsson/Reuters)

Anna Hardadottir, a farmer of Horgsland, leads a horse, through the ash pouring out of the erupting Grimsvoetn volcano on May 22, 2012. Ash deposits were sprinkled over the capital Reykjavik, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) to the west of the volcano, which has spewed an ash cloud about 20 kilometres into the sky. (Vilhelm Gunnarsson/AFP/Getty Images)

Tourists leave the Islandia Hotel in Nupur as ash continue to pour out of the erupting Grimsvoetn volcano on May 22, 2012. (Vilhelm Gunnarsson/AFP/Getty Images)

Vehicles are covered in ash near to Kirkjubaearklaustur, approx. 260 km from Reykjavik, Iceland, Monday, May 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti )

A dead lamb lies covered in ash near Kirkjubaearklaustur 260 km (162 miles) from Reykjavík, Iceland Tuesday May 24 2012 (AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti )

Passengers rest on the floor as their flights have been canceled at Edinburgh Airport in Edinburgh, Scotland Tuesday, May 24, 2012 (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

Passengers wait for information about their flights from Landvetter Airport in Goteborg on May 24, 2012. (ADAM IHSE/AFP/Getty Images)

A departure board shows canceled flights as the airport remains open with limited flights at Edinburgh Airport in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 24, 2012. (Scott Heppell/Associated Press)

Airline passengers sleep as they wait for flights at Edinburgh airport in Scotland, May 24, 2012. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Passengers sleep on the floor in the main terminal at Edinburgh Airport, in Scotland, May 24, 2012. (David Moir/Reuters)

A passenger waits in the main terminal at Edinburgh Airport, in Scotland, May 24, 2012. Ash from an Icelandic volcano forced the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from Scotland but Ireland's Ryanair said it would protest against "unnecessary" restrictions. (David Moir/Reuters) 

An empty flight Check-In area at Aberdeen Airport in Scotland, May 24, 2012, a result of a plume of ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano headed for Britain. (Scott Campbell/AFP/Getty Images)

A deserted check-in area at Keflavik airport, Keflavik, Iceland, May 22, 2012, as Iceland closed its main international airport and canceled domestic flights. (Brynjar Gauti/Associated Press)