Course
The river's primary source is two subglacial "cauldrons" beneath Skaftájökull, part of the Vatnajökull glacier in the interior of Iceland. It also receives spring-fed water from Langisjór, a lake a short distance to the west from which a tributary called the Útfall runs into the Skaftá. Other tributaries include the North and South Ófaerá, the Grjótá, and the Hellisá. West of Skaftárdalur, a farm named for the river valley, the Skaftá runs over a lava field in many channels, which recombine into three for the remainder of its course to theEffects of 1783 eruption
Beginning on June 8, 1783, the multi-year eruption of the volcanic system including Grímsvötn and Þórðarhyrna (sometimes referred to in Icelandic as the ''Skaftáreldur'', Skaftá Fires) filled the river valley with lava, including a gorge thought to have been deep, diverting its flow into the multiple shallow channels that now characterize its course. As a result it is subject to '' jökulhlaups'' ( glacial outburst floods), which occur every one to two years. The 2015 flood was unusually damaging, the largest since records began.See also
* Ice cauldron (Skaftákatlar)References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skafta Rivers of Iceland Drainage basins of the Atlantic Ocean Southern Region (Iceland)