Dettifoss () is a

waterfall A waterfall is any 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 seve ...

Vatnajökull National Park Vatnajökull National Park ( ) is one of three national parks in Iceland, and is the largest one. It encompasses all of Vatnajökull glacier and extensive surrounding areas. These include the national parks previously existing at Skaftafell in th ...

in Northeast

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

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

Rhine Falls The Rhine Falls ( / Swiss German: , a singular noun) is a waterfall on the High Rhine in Switzerland. It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe and a popular tourist attraction. The falls are located on the border between the cantons of S ...

. 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 (river or stream), source is the Vatnajökull glacier. It flows into the Greenland Sea. Jökulsá á Fjöllum streams over ...

river, which flows from the

Vatnajökull Vatnajökull ( Icelandic pronunciation: , literally "Glacier of Lakes"; sometimes translated as Vatna Glacier in English) is the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland, and the second largest in area in Europe after the Severny Island i ...

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

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

Tourist access

Dettifoss is served on its west side by Route 862, a tarmac road built in 2011. Road 862 gives access to Dettifoss in all seasons more and less, while an older

gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. Gravel roads are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and ...

(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

('), a public toilet, and a trail to the waterfall. Dettifoss is located on the

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

, a popular tourist route around

Húsavík Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the northeast coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,485 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsav� ...

and

Lake Mývatn A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

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 ...

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

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

film ''

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

'', standing in as landscape on a

primordial Primordial may refer to: * Primordial era, an era after the Big Bang. See Chronology of the universe * Primordial soup, hypothetical conditions under which life on Earth may have begun * Primordial nuclide, nuclides, a few radioactive, that form ...

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