Þjórsárdalur () is a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

Árnessýsla Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police ( ...

county in

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 ...

that lies between mount Búrfell alongside the river

Þjórsá Þjórsá () is Iceland's longest river at 230 kilometers (about 143 miles). It is in the south of the island. Þjórsá is a glacier river and has its source on the glacier Hofsjökull. It flows out through narrow gorges in the highlands of Ic ...

to the east and mount Skriðufell to the west. The valley is quite flattened over and

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

y after repeated

eruption Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often ...

of the nearby volcano

Hekla Hekla (), or Hecla, is a stratovolcano in the south of Iceland with a height of . Hekla is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes; over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since 874. During the Middle Ages, the Icelandic Norse ...

as well as other volcanoes in the vicinity like the

Vatnaöldur Vatnaöldur () is the name of a series of craters in the Suðurland region of Iceland. They are located in the Highlands of Iceland, northwest of the Veiðivötn and northeast of Landmannalaugar, within the municipality of Rangárþing ytra. It ...

volcanic system which produced Iceland's biggest known lavafield

Þjórsá Lava The Great Þjórsá Lava ( Icelandic: ''Þjórsárhraunið mikla'' ) is the largest lava flow in Iceland (by both area and volume) and the largest lava that is known to have erupted in a single eruption in the Holocene. It belongs to a group of lav ...

(Þjórsárhraun) in prehistoric times or the Grímsnes volcanic system with the crater

Kerið Kerið (; also Kerith or Kerid) is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland, along the Golden Circle. It is one of several crater lakes in the area, known as Iceland's Western Volcanic Zone, which includes the Reyk ...

. Landmarks in Þjórsárdal include

Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng (, ''Stöng Commonwealth Farm'') is a reconstructed viking-era farmstead in Iceland, located in the Þjórsárdalur valley near road 32 in Árnessýsla county. It is a historically accurate reconstruction of the three b ...

Gjáin Gjáin () is a small valley with small waterfalls, ponds, and volcanic structures situated in Þjórsárdalur in the south of Iceland. It is to be found at about half an hour walking distance from the historical farm Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng. ...

Háifoss Háifoss () is a waterfall situated near the volcano Hekla in southern Iceland. The waterfall Granni is next to it. The river ''Fossá'', a tributary of Þjórsá, drops here from a height of 122 m. This is the fourth highest waterfall of the isla ...

, and Vegghamrar.

Geography and Nature

Þjórsárdalur valley is divided into two valley floors: Rauðukamba in the eastern part; and Bergólfsstaðaá (towards the river Sandá) in the west. On the inside of both valleys is the mountain Fossalda, and east of the river Fossá is Stangarfell. The next mountain towards the southwest is Skeljafell; after that, Sámsstaðamúli, and finally Búrfell (Þjórsárdal). The valleys join at the south end. West of Fossöldu are the mountains Flóamannafjöll, then Dímon, Selhöfði, Skriðufell and Ásólfsstaðafjall. Under Hagafjall are the capes Bringa and Gaukshöfði.

Vegetation

In the corner of the valley besides Ásólfsstöðum and Skriðufelli is a large forest. This area of Þjórsárdals is lush with vegetation, as are Búrfell's woods. Yet (the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland) has continued to conduct extensive soil reclamation on the grounds covered by

with among other things

lupins ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

and grass species. Western Fossár has pumice as well that is cultivated, mostly within the enclosure of highland pasture called Gnúpverjaafréttur, but there are different grass species, including a lot of sea lyme grass.

Landsvirkjun Landsvirkjun, () the National Power Company of Iceland, is Iceland's largest electricity generator. Landsvirkjun operates 18 power plants in Iceland concentrated on five main areas of operation. History Landsvirkjun was founded on 1 July 1965 b ...

(Iceland's national electricity company) has cultivated the area around Búrfellsvirkjun and Þjóðveldisbærinn, and one can find there, among other things, a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

. In

and at Kjóaflöt there is a lot of vegetation, and it is especially scenic in Gjáin, since the Rauðá river winds through the cliff the ravine. There is a lot of

angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...

around the spring, as well as many species of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

and grass.

Places of interest

The farm of

, which was covered by the ashes of mount

's 1104 eruption, was excavated in 1939. It was rebuilt at about 10 km to the south of its former place near Búrfellsvirkjun hydroelectric power station as the farm museum

so that now one can see how fireplaces and other house fixtures looked during the

Saga Age The Saga Age ( is, Söguöld ) is the period in Icelandic history during which the majority of the sagas of Icelanders are set. It runs from the settlement of Iceland in 870 until about 1056 when the first bishop in Iceland Iceland ( is, � ...

(ca 930-1030). A footbridge goes across the river Rauðá right at the bottom of the original place of Stöng. From Stöng it is popular to walk on foot to Gjáin. Þjórsárdals's hot spring is west of the waterfall, east near Rauðukambar. There is a hot spring bath, and an abundance of hot- and cold water that is freely flowing into the hot spring. Inside the valley is

, one of the highest waterfalls of Iceland. Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppur has provided a viewing platform west of Stangarfelli which is situated on the way from Hólaskógur. Near the farm museum is

Hjálparfoss Hjálparfoss () is one of several waterfalls in the south of Iceland situated in the lava fields north of the stratovolcano Hekla near the point where the rivers Fossá and Þjórsá join. Hjálparfoss is located about east of the village Flú ...

, which is a split waterfall in a dell that joins together in Búrfell. ''Vegghamrar'' are rocky cliffs midway between Hallslaut and Rauðukamba. Under them lies the ancient Sprengisandsleið, and the mountain men Gnúpverja ride through here on the way to the mountains.

References

{{Authority control Forests of Iceland Valleys of Iceland Southern Region (Iceland)