List of waterfalls in Iceland

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Dettifoss, in Northern Iceland Iceland Dettifoss 1972-4.jpg
Dettifoss, in Northern Iceland
Gullfoss, in Southern Iceland Gullfoss 2009.jpg
Gullfoss, in Southern Iceland

Iceland is well suited for waterfalls (Icelandic: s. foss, pl. fossar). This Nordic island country lies along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which separates North America and Europe near where the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans meet. Frequent rain and snow impact its near-Arctic location. Large glaciers exist throughout the country whose summer melts feed many rivers. As a result, it is home to a number of large and powerful waterfalls. It is estimated that there are more than 10.000 waterfalls in Iceland. [1]

Contents

North

South

West

Westfjords

East

List of waterfalls by height

PictureNameHeightWater bodyRegionCommunityCoordinatesComment
Morsarfoss.jpg Morsárfoss 227.3 mMorsá Austurland Hornafjörður 64°06′45″N16°53′05″W / 64.11241°N 16.884806°W / 64.11241; -16.884806 (Morsárfoss) Discovered in 2007, measured in 2011;
Glymur2006.JPG Glymur 196 m Botnsá Vesturland Hvalfjarðarsveit 64°23′28″N21°15′02″W / 64.3911°N 21.2505°W / 64.3911; -21.2505 (Glymur) Considered tallest waterfall until 2011
Hengifoss 2016 02.jpg Hengifoss 128 m [3] Hengifossá Austurland Fljótsdalur 65°05′44″N14°53′25″W / 65.095693°N 14.890167°W / 65.095693; -14.890167 (Hengifoss) Alternative height: 110 m
Haifoss fall in Iceland 2005.JPG Háifoss 122 m Fossá í Þjórsárdal Suðurland Skeiða- og
Gnúpverjahreppur
64°12′29″N19°41′16″W / 64.208°N 19.6877°W / 64.208; -19.6877 (Háifoss) Neighbour of Granni
Iceland Haifoss Waterfall Panorama 2005-08-03.jpg Granni 101 m Fossá í Þjórsárdal Suðurland Skeiða- og
Gnúpverjahreppur
64°12′33″N19°41′00″W / 64.2092°N 19.6832°W / 64.2092; -19.6832 (Granni)
Neighbour of Háifoss
Dynjandi2.jpg Dynjandi 100 m Dynjandisá Vestfirðir Vesturbyggð 65°43′57″N23°11′56″W / 65.7326°N 23.199°W / 65.7326; -23.199 (Dynjandi) Alternative name: Fjallfoss
Tallest waterfall of the Westfjords
Rjukandi01(js).jpg Rjúkandi 93 mYsta-Rjúkandi Austurland Fljótsdalshérað 65°20′05″N15°04′55″W / 65.334674°N 15.082054°W / 65.334674; -15.082054 (Rjúkandi)
between Egilsstaðir and Mývatn
FossASidu-pjt.jpg Foss á Síðu 82 mFossá Suðurland Skaftárhreppur 63°51′21″N17°52′12″W / 63.855737°N 17.869925°W / 63.855737; -17.869925 (Foss á Síðu) close to Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Bjarnafoss.JPG Bjarnafoss 80 mBjarnaá Vesturland Snæfellsbær 64°50′54″N23°24′12″W / 64.8482°N 23.4033°W / 64.8482; -23.4033 (Bjarnafoss)
FagrifossJune.JPG Fagrifoss 80 mGeirlandsá Suðurland Skaftárhreppur 63°52′01″N18°15′00″W / 63.86694°N 18.2500°W / 63.86694; -18.2500 (Fagrifoss) in Vatnajökull National Park
Skiptarfoss.JPG Skiptárfoss 80 mSkiptá Vestfirðir Reykhólahreppur
Vesturbyggð
65°36′22″N22°55′31″W / 65.606013°N 22.925288°W / 65.606013; -22.925288 (Skiptárfoss)
Thordarfoss.JPG Þórðarfoss 80 mÞórðara Suðurland Rangárþing eystra 63°43′19″N19°53′55″W / 63.7220°N 19.8985°W / 63.7220; -19.8985 (Þórðarfoss) close to Merkjárfoss
Grundarfoss2011.jpg Grundarfoss 70 mGrundará Vesturland Grundarfjörður 64°54′32″N23°13′21″W / 64.9089°N 23.2224°W / 64.9089; -23.2224 (Grundarfoss) at Snæfellsnes
Systrafoss.JPG Systrafoss 69 mFossá Suðurland Skaftárhreppur 63°47′09″N18°03′35″W / 63.7859°N 18.0596°W / 63.7859; -18.0596 (Systrafoss) close to Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Seljalandsfoss-pjt.jpg Seljalandsfoss 65 mSeljalandsá Suðurland Rangárþing eystra 63°36′56″N19°59′16″W / 63.6156°N 19.9879°W / 63.6156; -19.9879 (Seljalandsfoss)
Skogafoss.jpg Skógafoss 62 m Skógá Suðurland Rangárþing eystra 63°31′56″N19°30′41″W / 63.5321°N 19.5113°W / 63.5321; -19.5113 (Skógafoss)
 
Irarfoss.JPG Írárfoss 60 mÍrá Suðurland Rangárþing eystra 63°34′39″N19°49′44″W / 63.5776°N 19.828951°W / 63.5776; -19.828951 (Írárfoss)
 

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Iceland</span>

Iceland is an island country at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle, atop the constructive boundary of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The island country is the world's 18th largest in area and one of the most sparsely populated. It is the westernmost European country when not including Greenland and has more land covered by glaciers than continental Europe. Its total size is 103,125 km2 (39,817 sq mi) and possesses an exclusive economic zone of 751,345 km2 (290,096 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterfall</span> A point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multnomah Falls</span> Waterfall in Oregon, U.S.

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height. The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goðafoss</span> Waterfall in North of Iceland

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 12 metres over a width of 30 metres. A 1.8-mile hiking trail loops around the waterfall area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dettifoss</span> Waterfall in Northeast Iceland

Dettifoss is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls. Dettifoss is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The sediment-rich runoff colours the water a greyish white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyjafjallajökull</span> Glacier and volcano in Iceland

Eyjafjallajökull, sometimes referred to by the numeronym E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 1,651 metres (5,417 ft). The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the Last Glacial Period, most recently in 2010, when, although relatively small for a volcanic eruption, it caused enormous disruption to air travel across northern and western Europe for a week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skógafoss</span> Waterfall in Iceland

Skógafoss is a waterfall on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliff marking the former coastline. After the coastline had receded, the former sea cliffs remained, parallel to the coast over hundreds of kilometres, creating together with some mountains a clear border between the coastal lowlands and the Highlands of Iceland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Háifoss</span> Waterfall in South of Iceland

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 island, after Morsárfoss, Glymur and Hengifoss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glymur</span> Waterfall in Iceland

Glymur is a waterfall in Hvalfjarðarsveit, Vesturland, Iceland. It is the second-tallest in the country with a cascade of 198 metres (650 ft). Glymur was long regarded as the tallest until being surpassed by Morsárfoss, a newly measured waterfall near Morsárjökull in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skjálfandafljót</span> River in Iceland

The Skjálfandafljót River is situated in the north of Iceland. Skjálfandafljót is 178 kilometres (111 mi) long, and is the fourth longest river of Iceland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkjubæjarklaustur</span> Village in South Constituency, Iceland

Kirkjubæjarklaustur is a village in the south of Iceland on the hringvegur between Vík í Mýrdal and Höfn. It is part of the municipality of Skaftárhreppur and has about 500 inhabitants. It is surrounded by hills and plateaus to the north. Kirkjubæjarklaustur is roughly 190 kilometres (120 mi) east of the capital Reykjavik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Route 1 (Iceland)</span> Ring road circumnavigating Iceland

Route 1 or the Ring Road is a national road in Iceland that circles the entire country. As a major trunk route, it is considered to be the most important piece of transport infrastructure in Iceland as it connects the majority of towns together in the most densely populated areas of the country. Economically, it carries a large proportion of goods traffic as well as tourist traffic. The total length of the road is 1,322 kilometres (821 mi), making it the longest ring road in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area</span> Protected area

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a 70,000-acre (28,000 ha) national recreation area administered by the National Park Service in northwest New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania. It is centered around a 40-mile (64 km) stretch of the Delaware River designated the Middle Delaware National Scenic River. At the area's southern end lays the Delaware Water Gap, a dramatic mountain pass where the river cuts between Blue Mountain and Kittatinny Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skaftafell</span> Protected area in Iceland

Skaftafell is a preservation area in Öræfi, southeast Iceland. It was once a major farm, later being named a national park. Originally known as Skaftafell National Park, it was subsequently joined together with other nearby regions to form the larger Vatnajökull National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selfoss (waterfall)</span> Waterfall in North of Iceland

Selfoss is a waterfall on the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum in the north of Iceland. The river drops over a number of waterfalls over about 30 km before flowing into Öxarfjörður, a bay of the Arctic Sea. The river originates as melt water from the glacier Vatnajökull and therefore the water flow varies depending on the season, the weather and volcanic activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vatnajökull National Park</span> National park in Iceland

Vatnajökull National Park is one of three national parks in Iceland. It encompasses all of Vatnajökull glacier and extensive surrounding areas. These include the national parks previously existing at Skaftafell in the southwest and Jökulsárgljúfur in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fljótsdalshreppur</span> Municipality in Eastern Region, Iceland

Fljótsdalshreppur is a municipality in Iceland The Municipality of Fljótsdalur in the Fljótsdalur valley covers more than 1,516 km2 (585 sq mi), extending from the glacier Vatnajökull in the south to in the north the Lagarfljót river with the large Hengifoss waterfall. The Fljótsdalur valley is divided into the South valley and the North valley at the central peak of Múli. A large area of land of the highland plateau in the municipality of Fljótsdalur is part of the Vatnajökull National Park, which encompasses spectacular natural resources and is important in Icelandic cultural history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morsárfoss</span> Waterfall in Iceland

Morsárfoss is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland. Measurements showed that one of the several waterfalls in the area is at least 240 metres (790 ft) in total height, making it the tallest waterfall in Iceland. Morsárfoss became visible in 2007 when Morsárjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull glacier, started melting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skaftá</span> River in Iceland

The Skaftá is a river in South Iceland. It is primarily glacial in origin and has had its course modified by volcanic activity; as a result of both, it often floods because of glacial melting.

References

  1. Icelandorg (October 28, 2023). "Waterfalls in Iceland: Names, Facts, and Features". Iceland.org – Iceland Tours, Car Rentals and Information. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  2. "Iceland's Tallest Waterfall to be Named".
  3. "Hengifoss (Fjotsdalsheidi)". European waterfalls. Retrieved 2020-08-10.