Dettifoss () is a

waterfall A waterfall is a 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. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

Vatnajökull National Park Vatnajökull National Park ( is, Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður ) 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 Skaftafel ...

in Northeast

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 ...

, and is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

after the

Rhine Falls , photo = File:SBB RABe 514 DTZ Rheinfall.jpg , photo_width = 280 , photo_caption = Rhine Falls with Rheinfall Bridge and Laufen Castle , location = On the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich next to Schaffhausen, i ...

. Dettifoss is situated on the

Jökulsá á Fjöllum Jökulsá á Fjöllum (; "glacial river in the mountains") is the second longest river in Iceland (206 km). Its source is the Vatnajökull glacier. It flows into the Greenland Sea. Jökulsá á Fjöllum streams over the waterfalls Selfoss, ...

river, which flows from the

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 ...

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The sediment-rich runoff colours the water a greyish white. The falls are wide and have a drop of down to the canyon Jökulsárgljúfur.Dettifoss – the most powerful waterfall in all of Europe
Atlas Obscura, 28 October 2016 It is the second largest waterfall in Iceland in terms of volume discharge (behind the Urriðafoss), having an average water flow of 193 m³/ s. The superlative of "most powerful" comes from its water flow times its fall distance.

Tourist access

Dettifoss is served on its west side by Route 862, a tarmac road built in 2011. Road 862 gives access to Dettifoss in all seasons more and less, while an older

gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the Unit ...

(Route 864) serves the east side and is usually passable in summer only. On the west bank there are minimal facilities, including a pit toilet, maintained hiking path and a view-platform. On the east bank there is an information panel maintained by the staff of

('), a public toilet, and a trail to the waterfall. Dettifoss is located on the Diamond Circle, a popular tourist route around

Húsavík Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík i ...

and Lake Mývatn in North Iceland.

In media

The musical composition "Dettifoss" (Op. 57) by

Jón Leifs Jón Leifs (born Jón Þorleifsson on 1 May 1899 – 30 July 1968) was an Icelandic composer, pianist, and conductor. Life Jón Leifs was born ''Jón Þorleifsson,'' at the farm Sólheimar, then in the Húnavatnssýsla, northwestern Iceland. H ...

is inspired by this waterfall. The waterfall is featured in the 2012

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

film ''

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning " forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, kn ...

'', standing in as landscape on a primordial Earth-like planet.

References

*Leffman, David; and Proctor, James (2004). ''The Rough Guide To Iceland'', Rough Guides, 281. .

External links

*
Dettifoss on FlickrDettifoss on YouTube
{{Authority control Waterfalls of Iceland North Volcanic Zone of Iceland

Tourist access

In media

See also

References

External links