Rivers of Iceland - photo, list, description
Rivers of Iceland
Iceland's rivers are characterized by numerous rapids and very fast currents, which makes them unnavigable. The main source of food is glaciers. Icelandic rivers are characterized by strong floods. And the floods are caused by the eruptions of subglacial volcanoes.
Tjoursau river
Thorsau is the widest and longest river on the Ice Island - 230 kilometers. The source was the Hofsjökull glacier, and the river flows into the waters of the Atlantic. In the upper reaches, the river is covered with ice.
Jökülsau-au-Fjödlum river
The total length of the river channel is 206 kilometers. And this is the second longest river after Tyoursau. The source of the river is located among the ice of Vatnajökull - the largest glacier in Iceland. Descending from the mountains, Jökülsau-au-Fjödlum rushes north, where it flows into the waters of the Skjaulfandi Bay (Greenland Sea, Arctic Ocean).
There are many waterfalls in Iceland and two of the most famous - Selfoss and Dettifoss - are located on this river. The river bed passes through the grand canyon located in the Jökulsaurgluvur National Park.
Elfusau river
The river bed runs along the southern part of the island. The source of the river is the confluence of the Sog and Khvitau rivers (Ingolfsfjall mountain).
Initially, Elfusau is wide, but as it approaches the town of Selfoss, it narrows and passes through the huge Tjorsarhraun lava field. After reaching the surface, the river becomes wide again. At the confluence with the Atlantic waters, Elfusau expands to 5 kilometers.
Elfusau is the most abundant river in Iceland and during the period of melting glaciers, it poses a threat of flooding. There are a lot of salmon fish in the river..
Jökülsau-au-Dal river
Jökülsau-au-Dal is geographically located in the north-eastern part of the country. The source is the foothills of the Bruarjökull glacier (part of the Vatnajökull glacier). The river flows into the waters of the Norwegian Sea. The river runs along the bottom of narrow canyons, and therefore it is distinguished by rapids and meandering speech. The total length of the river channel is 150 kilometers.
Skjaulvandaflyout river
The Skjaulvandaflyout channel runs through the northern territories of the island and has a total length of 178 kilometers. The source of the river is on the border of the Vatnajökull glacier. The confluence is the waters of the Skjalfandi Fjord. There are several waterfalls on the river, one of which Godafoss is the most visited waterfall in Iceland.
Blanda river
The source of the river is in the southwestern part of the Hofsjökull glacier (800 meters above sea level). The place of confluence is the waters of the Hunafloi Bay (the village of Blondyous). The total length of the river bed is 125 kilometers. There are a lot of salmon in the waters of the river. Up to 3000 specimens are caught here annually.