Iceland Volcano Eruption 2011: Images From Grimsvotn (PHOTOS/ VIDEO)

Grimsvotn, the volcano in southeast Iceland that began its largest eruption in 100 years on Saturday, sent ash as high as 12 miles into the air and grounded airplanes at the country's largest airport.

From The Associated Press:

The ash from Grimsvotn – about 120 miles (200 kilometers) east of the capital, Reykjavik – turned the sky black Sunday and rained down on nearby buildings, cars and fields. Civil protection workers helped farmers get their animals into shelters and urged residents to wear masks and stay indoors. No ash fell on the capital.

Reuters reports that the ash could travel to Europe next week, but experts also said that just a day after the eruption, the volcano has already begun to decrease in strength. Late Sunday the height of the ash cloud had decreased by more than 5 miles, to 6.8 miles.

Even though it's bigger, scientists do not expect the Grimsvotn eruption to disrupt travel as severely as last year's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which left millions of passengers around the world stranded.

Grimsvotn's most recent eruption -- in 2004 -- lasted for five days.

Watch a video about Grimsvotn and check out some of the pictures from the eruption.