The Svartá river ("Black River") is a

spring creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground Spring (hydrology), spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring cree ...

on the inner, western side of

Skagafjörður Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland. Location Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi, Skagi Peninsula to the west. Ther ...

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 ...

. A considerable amount of spring water runs in the river up to the highland where it then begins to resemble a direct run-off river as it flows on. The river surfaces in the Eyvindarstaðaheiði plateau and runs through

Svartárdalur Svartárdalur is a valley deeper into the interior of Skagafjörður, Iceland. It was previously a part of Lýtingsstaðahreppur Lýtingsstaðahreppur was a hreppur, an old Icelandic municipality, in the interior of Skagafjörður County, I ...

valley, then continues between Neðribyggð and Reykjatunga where there is a waterfall called Reykjafoss. Some ways below it, around Vindheimamelar, the river’s name changes to

Húseyjarkvísl Húseyjarkvísl ("Húseyja Branch," named after the farm Húsey in Vallhólmur) is a rock stream in Skagafjörður, Iceland, that comes up to meet the Svartá ("Black River") in Eyvindarstaðaheiði. It runs down Svartárdalur along Reykjatung ...

. It flows into the bottom of

Varmahlíð Varmahlíð () is a small village in Skagafjörður, northern 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 E ...

and into the

Héraðsvötn Héraðsvötn (), whose name is often shortened to Vötn or Vötnin (and was called Jökulsá in previous centuries) is a glacier river in Iceland. It is formed by the confluence of Austari-Jökulsá and Vestari-Jökulsá. The Héraðsvötn is ...

shortly before reaching

Glaumbær Glaumbær is an Icelandic town and church site in the middle of Langholt, west of Héraðsvötn in Skagafjörður, formerly a part of the rural municipality Seyluhreppur. It is now home to the Skagafjörður Folk Museum. History The Glaumbær ...

. In old literature, the Jökulsá river, or part of the Héraðsvötn, is said to have flowed west along the slopes of Vindheimabrekkur and that the Svartá ran into the glacier lake at the point where the river changes its name. Many Icelandic rivers are named Svartá. Most flow into glacier rivers, whose water, or rather whose river beds, look very dark, nearly black, in comparison with the grey-brown glacier water.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Iceland Skagafjörður