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Eldgjá canyon
Eldgjá is an old tectonic graben that was reactivated in a huge eruption in 934-940. The Eldgjá vents form a discontinuous 75 km long volcanic fissure extending from the Katla volcano in the west to Vatnajökull in the east. The eruption in 934-940 takes its name from a spectacular 150 m deep and 8 km long chasm called Eldgjá (fire fissure) that occupies the central part of the vent system. Part of the fissure is under protection of the Vatnajökull National Park. There you can take a walk along the bottom of the fissure and witness the sheer scale of it. An easy hike takes you from the car park (with
WC facilities) along the bottom of the fissure to Ófærufoss waterfall. Getting there: you need a 4x4 and the area is only accessible in the summer. This is a site of international geological significance. Ófærufoss is a distinctive two-tiered waterfall cascading into the fissure Eldgjá.
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Travel directory for Eldgjá canyon
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