DETTIFOSS
WATERFALL :
To
the waterfall Dettifoss is a short walk
from the car park in the National Park.
You go across Sandadalur, a small
valley
containing an old river bed, that bears witness to the power of
the Jokulsa a Fjollum river and the jokulhlaups
(flood), that
thunder down it from
time to time. Since it’s partly buried in the
canyon, Dettifoss is overlooked by
cliffs on both sides.
From the west, the full face of the waterfall can
be seen, and a short walk places you on top of the lava dam
and fault line, that are responsible for the
waterfall’s location.
The waterfall is heard well before it is seen and the spray
can be seen over ridges, before the edge of the canyon is
reached. This
isn't surprising. Dettifoss is Europe's greatest
waterfall -
at
least in terms of volume, which averages 500 cubic meters of
water per
second during normal river conditions. Its volume often
increases, though, especially when the weather or volcanic
activity,
prompts glacial melting on (or under) the Vatnajokull
glacier icecap.
The
river water is almost always dark with sediment, in contrast with the
white rapids and spray. During floods the river and the falls
are
often virtually black with sediment and debris.
As
with other Icelandic
waterfalls, Dettifoss is approached at your own
risk. There
are
no safety barriers, although one or two paths have been roped off in
order to control erosion damage caused by visitors. If
you’re going near the waterfall, you’ll almost
certainly
need some sort of rain gear - the heavy spray that rains down on the
surrounding area can quickly soak you. You’ll also
need to
restrain any impulses you may feel to jump into the falls.
Standing close to all the roaring water can be hypnotic, and
a
ride over the edge probably isn’t
survivable. |
