Eldgjá

About this place

Eldgjá, «fire canyon», is a volcano and canyon in the highlands of south Iceland, about 34 km in a straight line north-west of the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. It is part of the Katla volcanic system, a segment of a 40 km chain of craters and fissures that runs north-east from Katla almost to the Vatnajökull ice cap. The fissure erupted on a huge scale around 939 CE, the largest effusive eruption in recent history, covering about 780 square kilometres of land with some 18.6 cubic kilometres of lava. Records from China, Europe and the Islamic world describe its effects on climate, with cold winters and food crises across Eurasia. The canyon cuts through the land between high walls of red and brown volcanic rock draped in green moss, with a small river running over the gravel on its floor. At its end, the Ófærufoss waterfall drops in two tiers into a dark pool between the canyon walls, and around it spread plains of black sand and glowing, almost fluorescent moss. It is reached only by a gravel highland track for four-wheel-drive vehicles, open in summer only and with river crossings, so go only in a suitable vehicle or on a guided tour. An easy path leads from the car park to the waterfall in about half an hour.