APOD 4.3 Ash and Lightning Above an Icelandic Volcano

The recent volcanic explosions in Iceland have created so much as that they have cancelled flights across Europe. The ash and dust has drifted across Europe and engulfed the whole continent. The ash is still thick that many planes are still left grounded. But what created so much ash? The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland began erupting on March 20, with a second eruption starting under the center of a small glacier on April 14. Neither eruption was particularly powerful, but the second explosion melted a glacier that fragmented lava after it cooled and the lava pieces were carried up with the rising volcanic plume.