judith.kuhn
Hraunfossar
Hraunfossar is a very unusual waterfall: here it is not the Hvítá river itself that falls into the depths, but rather the water seems to spring directly from the lava (“hraun” in Icelandic). In fact, a branch of the river seeps into the porous lava a little further upstream and continues to flow underground on a water-impermeable basalt layer. After about a kilometer the water reappears in the form of numerous rivulets and waterfalls.
I had also paid no attention to the Hraunfossar on all my previous trips to Iceland; the special attraction this time was the magnificent autumn colors of the vegetation around the waterfall.
Hraunfossar
Hraunfossar is a very unusual waterfall: here it is not the Hvítá river itself that falls into the depths, but rather the water seems to spring directly from the lava (“hraun” in Icelandic). In fact, a branch of the river seeps into the porous lava a little further upstream and continues to flow underground on a water-impermeable basalt layer. After about a kilometer the water reappears in the form of numerous rivulets and waterfalls.
I had also paid no attention to the Hraunfossar on all my previous trips to Iceland; the special attraction this time was the magnificent autumn colors of the vegetation around the waterfall.