Hraunfossar (; in

Borgarfjörður Borgarfjörður () is a fjord in the west of Iceland near the town of Borgarnes. Although the waters of Borgarfjörður appear calm, the fjord has significant undercurrents and shallows. The many flat islands lying in the fjord are for the most ...

, western

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 ...

) is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 metres out of the Hallmundarhraun, a

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

field which flowed from an

eruption A volcanic eruption occurs when material is expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Several types of volcanic eruptions have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has ...

of one of the

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

es lying under the

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

Langjökull Langjökull (, Icelandic for "long glacier") is the second largest ice cap in Iceland (), after Vatnajökull. It is situated in the west of the Icelandic interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur. It covers the ...

. The waterfalls pour into

Hvítá (Borgarfjörður) {{disambiguation There are some rivers in Iceland named Hvítá (= engl. White river). The most important ones are: * Hvítá (Árnessýsla) in the south of Iceland and * Hvítá (Vesturland) in the west of the country (Vesturland Western Re ...

, from ledges of less porous rock in the lava. The name comes from the Icelandic word for ''lava'' (''hraun'') and the word for ''waterfalls'' (''fossar''). The Hraunfossar are situated near

Húsafell Húsafell () is a sprawling farm and church estate and the former site of a rectory. It is the innermost farm in Borgarfjörður in the west county of Iceland, not far from Reykholt and Reykholtsdalur. Húsafell farm now serves as a hub of ser ...

and Reykholt and the Víðgelmir lava tube is close by. Literally a stone's throw upstream from Hraunfossar, there is another waterfall called Barnafoss. Its name, the ''waterfall of the children'', comes from an accident which is said to have taken place here in former times. There was a natural bridge over the waterfall and two children from a nearby farm fell to their deaths crossing the river on the bridge. Afterwards, the grief-struck mother had the bridge destroyed.

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Painting by A. Jónsson
{{coord, 64, 42, 7, N, 20, 58, 41, W, region:IS_type:waterbody, display=title Borgarbyggð Waterfalls of Iceland West Volcanic Zone of Iceland

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