The Skjálfandafljót River () is situated in the north of
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 ...
. Skjálfandafljót is long, and is the fourth longest river of Iceland.
It has its source at the northwestern border of the icecap
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 ...
on the
Highlands of Iceland
The Highland (Icelandic language, Icelandic: ''Hálendið)'' or The Central Highland is an area that comprises much of the interior land of Iceland. The Highland is situated above and is mostly uninhabitable. The soil is primarily volcanic as ...
. From there it streams parallel to the
Sprengisandur
Sprengisandur () is a highland plateau in Iceland, defined roughly as the area between the Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers.
History and etymology
Like Kjölur and Kaldidalur, Sprengisandur is an ancient pass - during the time of the I ...
Highland road in a northern direction, flowing finally into
Skjálfandi
Skjálfandi (; also known as Skjálfandaflói ) is a bay in northern Iceland, with some of the characteristics of a fjord. The Icelandic word ''Skjálfandi'' literally translates to ''trembling'' which may refer to earthquakes in the area.
The ...
bay.
By following the river from its source at the Vatnajökull glacier all the way to the river mouth at Skjálfandi bay it's possible to see many waterfalls. Skjálfandafljót possesses a number of waterfalls, including
Goðafoss
Goðafoss () is a waterfall in northern Iceland. It is located along the country's main ring road at the junction with the Sprengisandur highland road, about 45 minutes from Akureyri. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of ...
. Other well-known waterfalls in Skjálfandafljót include
Hrafnabjargafoss,
Aldeyjarfoss,
Barnafoss and Ullarfoss
1
It was first descended by kayak by a team from the University of Sheffield (UK) in 1989.
At the north end of the Sprengisandur road, the river drops down 10m over Aldeyjarfoss. Goðafoss is in the lowlands, very near
Route 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbered S ...
.
There have been proposals to build a
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power station along the river.
Gallery
File:Goðafoss Island.jpg, Goðafoss
File:Foss í Skjálfandafljóti (3861040463).jpg, The upper course of the Skjálfandafljót
File:Skjálfandafljót at Route 1.jpg, Skjálfandafljót from Route 1
File:Godafoss in summer 2009 (3).jpg, Near Goðafoss
See also
*
List of rivers of Iceland
On an island like Iceland, the rivers are short in length. None of the rivers are important as a means of navigation due to the impracticality of settlements in the Highlands of Iceland where they originate.
South
* Hvítá
* Krossá
* Kúðaflj ...
*
Waterfalls of Iceland
Iceland is well suited for waterfalls (Icelandic: s. ''foss,'' pl. ''fossar''). This Nordic countries, Nordic island country lies along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which separates North America and Europe near where the North Atlantic and Arctic Oce ...
References
External links
Icelandic River Guide
Rivers of Iceland
Northeastern Region (Iceland)
{{Iceland-river-stub