• Ash column above volcano now lower at a height of 4-5 km
• Farmers, livestock moved indoors as ash falls
• Icelandic airlines now running flights to Norway

Powerful tremors from an Icelandic volcano that has been a menace for travellers across Europe shook the countryside on Sunday as eruptions hurled a steady stream of ash into the sky.

Ash from the volcano drifted southeast towards the European continent, sparing the capital Reykjavik and other more populated centres but forcing farmers and their livestock indoors as a blanket of ash fell on the surrounding areas.

"We are all doing our utmost to make sure that the farming community in this area survives this disaster," Icelandic President Olafur Grimsson told Reuters Television. [ REUTERS ] 

Iceland volcano - Amazing Pictures

Lightning streaks across the sky as lava flows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokul

The ash plume of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano streams southwards over the Northern Atlantic Ocean in this satellite photograph... 

..A close-up of the erupting volcano and the ash plume from space 

A woman stands near a waterfall that has been dirtied by ash that has accumulated from the ash plume of an erupting volcano near Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland 

A photograph taken on 25 March shows the Aurora Borealis aka Northern Lights behind the volcanic eruption in Iceland at Fimmvorduhals 

This photo, taken on 25 March, shows a woman watching the eruption and the Aurora Borealis 

Lava fountains spurting during volcano eruption in Iceland at Fimmvorduhals. Picture taken on 25 March 

Horses are herded to safety away from volcanic ash clouds near Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland 

Ingi Sveinbjoernsso leads his horses on a road covered with volcanic ash back to his barn in Yzta-baeli 

Farmer Ingi Sveinbjoernsso puts the last of his horses into his barn in Yzta-baeli, Iceland. Only 24 hours earlier he'd lost the shaggy Icelandic horses in an ash cloud that turned day into terrifying night, blanketing the wild landscape in glutinous grey mud. 

Tourist and scientists photograph the volcanic eruption in Fimmvorduhals 

A man runs at the roadside to take pictures of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano as it continues to billow smoke and ash 

Photographer Omar Oskarsson and journalist Runar Palmason join volcanic scientists Sigurdur Gislason and Helgi Alfredsson as they collect samples from the ash to send to labs to analyse the contents 
A scientist collects ash samples in Iceland 

A film crew working for National Geographic publication set up their equipment on southern Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier after landing on the glacier, close to the volcanic eruption 

A cloud of volcanic matter is seen as it rises from the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano 

Smoke and lava are seen as the volcano erupts in Eyjafjallajokul 

A huge ash cloud looms over the Icelandic south coast 

A huge ash cloud darkens the daytime sky as it creeps over the Icelandic south coast 

A view of the town of Vik, which suffered from power outages, due to ash dissipation 

A black column of ash is pictured over a farm in Drangshlid 

Farmers Benedikt Eythorsson and Thorgrimur Bjarnason work to clean off volcanic ash that accumulated on their barn roof 

Farmer Bjarni Thorvaldsson works to clean off volcanic ash that accumulated on a barn roof 

Ash covers bales of hay on a farm in Hrutafell, Iceland 

A farmer checks volcanic ash on his land in Iceland 

Thorgerthur Thorkellsdottir swings while walking with her mother, Anna Runoltsdottir and uncle Petur Runottsson on their farm in Eyjafjallajokull 

Motorists stop on the roadside to take pictures of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano as it continues to billow smoke and ash 

The ash plume of southwestern Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano streams southwards over the Northern Atlantic Ocean in an infrared satellite photograph made by the Hyperion instrument onboard NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft