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Merkjárfoss
Gluggafoss () is a waterfall in southern Iceland, specifically in the Fljótshlíð area. As the most prominent member of a series of waterfalls running from the river Merkjá , it is also known as Merkjárfoss ; both names are acknowledged on an on-site signpost. The waterfall is accessible off Route 261, some from the closest major town, Hvolsvöllur (which in turn is east of Reykjavík). Gluggafoss has a total height of approximately and features two main drops: one for into a narrow recess, then another for a further (in three main channels). The cliff supporting Gluggafoss has an upper palagonite (or tuff rock) portion and a lower basalt portion. Distinctive of Gluggafoss' geology are the holes and tunnels formed by the river through the soft palagonite. Known in Icelandic as ''gluggar'', or 'windows', these holes allow observers at the base of the waterfall to see partly obscured water flow. According to the on-site signpost, the upper half of the waterfall could be se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterfalls Of Iceland
Iceland is unusually suited for waterfalls (Icelandic: s. ''foss,'' pl. ''fossar''). This island country has a north Atlantic climate that produces frequent rain and snow and a near-Arctic location that produces large glaciers, whose summer melts feed many rivers. As a result, it is home to a number of large and powerful waterfalls. North * Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in Iceland. * Gljúfursárfoss * Selfoss * Hafragilsfoss * Goðafoss * Aldeyjarfoss South * Faxi or Vatnsleysufoss in Tungufljót river * Foss á Síðu * Gluggafoss * Gljúfrafoss * Gjáin has many small waterfalls * Gullfoss (''Golden Falls'') * Háifoss (''High Falls'') * Hjálparfoss * Merkjárfoss * Ófærufoss used to be noted for the impressive natural bridge which stood above the falls, but it collapsed in 1993. * Seljalandsfoss * Skógafoss (''Forest Falls'') * Svartifoss (''Black Falls'') is one of the many waterfalls of Skaftafell National Park * Systrafoss, in Kirkju ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ways, but the most common method of formation is that a river courses over a top layer of resistant bedrock before falling on to softer rock, which Erosion, erodes faster, leading to an increasingly high fall. Waterfalls have been studied for their impact on species living in and around them. Humans have had a distinct relationship with waterfalls for years, travelling to see them, exploring and naming them. They can present formidable barriers to navigation along rivers. Waterfalls are religious sites in many cultures. Since the 18th century they have received increased attention as tourist destinations, sources of hydropower, andparticularly since the mid-20th centuryas subjects of research. Definition and terminology A waterfall is gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its surrounding areas) is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the biggest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate. According to the ancient manuscript , the settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fljótshlíð
Fljótshlíð () is a rural area in the municipality of Rangárþing eystra in Southern Region, Iceland. Before the formation of Rangárþing eystra in 2002, Fljótshlíð was its own municipality called Fljótshlíðarhreppur. '' Fljót'' ( genitive case: ''fljóts'') means "river", and '' hlíð'' (genitive: ''hlíðar'') means "slope". Fljótshlíð lies to the east of Hvolsvöllur and north of the Markarfljót river. Gunnar Hámundarson lived in the area in the 10th century. Other notable inhabitants include Tómas Sæmundsson, editor of Fjölnir, artist Nína Sæmundsson and poet Þorsteinn Erlingsson. Fljótshlíð was evacuated as a result of the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull Between March and June 2010 a series of volcanic events at Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland caused enormous disruption to air travel across Western Europe. The disruptions started over an initial period of six days in April 2010. Additional locali .... Fljótshlíð is also where the band R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hvolsvöllur
Hvolsvöllur () is a small town in the south of Iceland about 106 km to the east of Reykjavík. Overview The name of the town literally translates to "Hillfield". ( in the genitive case) is an archaic form of the modern Icelandic word , meaning "hill", and means "field". The name is derived from the name of the historic farm (, "Stórólfur's hill"). The hringvegur (road no.1) traverses the town which has 1036 inhabitants. In the surrounding areas there is an additional population of about 800 people, who are also part of the municipality. Not far from Hvolsvöllur are an airfield and a port ( Landeyjahöfn ) that offer transportation to Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands). The area is the scene of one of the most well-known sagas of Iceland, Njál's saga. The town of Hvolsvöllur has a Saga Centre dedicated to this and other Icelandic sagas. In 2010, the volcanic eruptions at Eyjafjallajökull caused evacuations in the surrounding area, with people being relocated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a population of around 131,136 (and 233,034 in the Capital Region), it is the centre of Iceland's cultural, economic, and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination. Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which, according to Landnámabók, was established by Ingólfr Arnarson in 874 CE. Until the 18th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was officially founded in 1786 as a trading town and grew steadily over the following decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world. History According to lege ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palagonite
Palagonite is an alteration product from the interaction of water with volcanic glass of chemical composition similar to basalt. Palagonite can also result from the interaction between water and basalt melt. The water flashes to steam on contact with the hot lava and the small fragments of lava react with the steam to form the light-colored palagonite tuff cones common in areas of basaltic eruptions in contact with water. An example is found in the pyroclastic cones of the Galapagos Islands. Charles Darwin recognized the origin of these cones during his visit to the islands. Palagonite can also be formed by a slower weathering of lava into palagonite, resulting in a thin, yellow-orange rind on the surface of the rock. The process of conversion of lava to palagonite is called ''palagonitization.'' Palagonite soil is a light yellow-orange dust, comprising a mixture of particles ranging down to sub-micrometer sizes, usually found mixed with larger fragments of lava. The color is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial planet, rocky planet or natural satellite, moon. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth is basalt. Rapid-cooling, fine-grained basalt is chemically equivalent to slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro. The eruption of basalt lava is observed by geologists at about 20 volcanoes per year. Basalt is also an important rock type on other planetary bodies in the Solar System. For example, the bulk of the plains of volcanism on Venus, Venus, which cover ~80% of the surface, are basaltic; the lunar mare, lunar maria are plains of flood-basaltic lava flows; and basalt is a common rock on the surface of Mars. Molten basalt lava has a low viscosity due to its relatively low silica content (between 45% and 52%), resulting in rapidly moving lava flo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Icelandic Language
Icelandic (; is, íslenska, link=no ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national language. Due to being a West Scandinavian language, it is most closely related to Faroese, western Norwegian dialects, and the extinct language, Norn. The language is more conservative than most other Germanic languages. While most of them have greatly reduced levels of inflection (particularly noun declension), Icelandic retains a four- case synthetic grammar (comparable to German, though considerably more conservative and synthetic) and is distinguished by a wide assortment of irregular declensions. Icelandic vocabulary is also deeply conservative, with the country's language regulator maintaining an active policy of coining terms based on older Icelandic words rather than directly taking in loanwords from other languages. Since the written language has not changed much, Icelandic speakers can read classic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hekla
Hekla (), or Hecla, is a stratovolcano in the south of Iceland with a height of . Hekla is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes; over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since 874. During the Middle Ages, the Icelandic Norse called the volcano the "Gateway to Hell". Hekla is part of a volcanic ridge, long. The most active part of this ridge, a fissure about long named , is considered to be within Hekla proper. Hekla looks rather like an overturned boat, with its keel being a series of craters, two of which are generally the most active. The volcano's frequent large eruptions have covered much of Iceland with tephra, and these layers can be used to date eruptions of Iceland's other volcanoes. Approximately 10% of the tephra created in Iceland in the last thousand years has come from Hekla, amounting to 5 km3. Cumulatively, the volcano has produced one of the largest volumes of lava of any in the world in the last millennium, around 8 km3. Etymolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volcanic Ash
Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcano, volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer to all explosive eruption products (correctly referred to as ''tephra''), including particles larger than 2 mm. Volcanic ash is formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when dissolved gases in magma expand and escape violently into the atmosphere. The force of the gases shatters the magma and propels it into the atmosphere where it solidifies into fragments of volcanic rock and glass. Ash is also produced when magma comes into contact with water during phreatomagmatic eruptions, causing the water to explosively flash to steam leading to shattering of magma. Once in the air, ash is transported by wind up to thousands of kilometres away. Due to its wide dispersal, ash can have a number of impacts on society, including animal a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss () is a waterfall in Iceland. Seljalandsfoss is located in the South Region in Iceland right by Route 1 and the road that leads to Þórsmörk Road 249. The waterfall drops and is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin in the volcano glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Visitors can walk behind the falls into a small cave. Controversy Plans to build an 8-metre high, 2000 square-metre information centre near the waterfall provoked controversy in Iceland in May 2017. Opponents of the plans argued that the building would spoil the view of the waterfall and interrupt the natural look of the area. In popular culture Seljalandsfoss was a waypoint during the first leg of ''The Amazing Race 6''. Seljalandsfoss was featured in the movie ''CKY2K'' along with music from Björk. A scene from the 1990 movie The Juniper Tree (film) has Björk's character walk behind the waterfall. The official music video of "I'll Show You" by Justin Bieber features glacial lagoons a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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_Detail_from_map_of_Iceland_1585.jpg "Click for more on -> Hekla")
