Dettifoss () is a

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 wa ...

in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast

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 s ...

, and is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

after the Rhine Falls. Dettifoss is situated on the

Jökulsá á Fjöllum Jökulsá á Fjöllum (; "glacial river in the mountains") is the second longest river in Iceland (206 km). Its source is the Vatnajökull glacier. It flows into the Greenland Sea. Jökulsá á Fjöllum streams over the waterfalls Selfoss, ...

river, which flows from the Vatnajökull

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The sediment-rich runoff colours the water a greyish white. The falls are wide and have a drop of down to the canyon Jökulsárgljúfur.Dettifoss – the most powerful waterfall in all of Europe
Atlas Obscura, 28 October 2016 It is the second largest waterfall in Iceland in terms of volume discharge (behind the

Urriðafoss Urriðafoss (, "sea trout waterfall") is a waterfall located in the river Þjórsá in southwest Iceland. With a flow rate of 360 m³/s, it has the highest average water flow of any waterfall in Iceland, and the second highest in Europe behind the ...

), having an average water flow of 193 m³/ s. The superlative of "most powerful" comes from its water flow times its fall distance.

Tourist access

Dettifoss is served on its west side by Route 862, a

tarmac Tarmac may refer to: Engineered surfaces * Tarmacadam, a mainly historical tar-based material for macadamising road surfaces, patented in 1902 * Asphalt concrete, a macadamising material using asphalt instead of tar which has largely superseded ta ...

road built in 2011. Road 862 gives access to Dettifoss in all seasons more and less, while an older gravel road (Route 864) serves the east side and is usually passable in summer only. On the west bank there are minimal facilities, including a pit toilet, maintained hiking path and a view-platform. On the east bank there is an information panel maintained by the staff of Vatnajökull National Park ('), a public toilet, and a trail to the waterfall. Dettifoss is located on the

Diamond Circle The Diamond Circle ( is, Demantshringurinn ) is a popular tourist route around Húsavík and Lake Mývatn in North Iceland. The route is fully paved and easily accessible during the summer. The southern section of the route follows Route 1 (Ring ...

, a popular tourist route around

Húsavík Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík is s ...

and

Lake Mývatn A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

in North Iceland.

In media

The musical composition "Dettifoss" (Op. 57) by

Jón Leifs Jón Leifs (born Jón Þorleifsson on 1 May 1899 – 30 July 1968) was an Icelandic composer, pianist, and conductor. Life Jón Leifs was born ''Jón Þorleifsson,'' at the farm Sólheimar, then in the Húnavatnssýsla, northwestern Iceland. H ...

is inspired by this waterfall. The waterfall is featured in the 2012

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

film '' Prometheus'', standing in as landscape on a primordial Earth-like planet.

References

*Leffman, David; and Proctor, James (2004). ''The Rough Guide To Iceland'', Rough Guides, 281. .

External links

*
Dettifoss on FlickrDettifoss on YouTube
{{Authority control Waterfalls of Iceland North Volcanic Zone of Iceland

Tourist access

In media

See also

References

External links