Eruption History of Eyjafjallajokull
Eyjafjallajokull has four recorded eruptions. These were in 920, 1612, 1821-1823, and 2010. The one from 1821 to 1823 lasted over fourteen months. The most recent eruption, in 2010, started in January with several minor earthquakes. By early March, the earthquakes got more powerful and lava could be seen. The lava melted the glacier above it, releasing a ton of water vapor and some other gases. The expanding gases caused a few phreatomagmatic explosions, which are caused by water touching lava, sending a plume of ash seven miles high into the atmosphere. Also, the nearby glacier Markarfljót melted a little, flooding farmland and damaging roads.