A vertical timeline
The wall reads as a geological record spanning millions of years.
Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Christian Bickel fingalo — CC BY-SA 2.0 de · Jürgen Regel, Marian… — CC BY 3.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0
A waterfall of about a hundred and eight metres in eastern Iceland, dropping in front of a rock wall striped with alternating red and black layers — its most distinctive feature. The layers are a geological record readable by eye. The black bands are basalt lava flows, and the red ones between them are ancient soils formed during quiet periods between eruptions and then oxidised. Each red stripe represents thousands of years of calm between two outpourings. The wall is effectively a vertical timeline spanning millions of years. The layers also hold fossilised plant remains from a period when Iceland was considerably warmer than it is now. The walk to the falls is about an hour uphill each way, passing a smaller second waterfall called Litlanesfoss framed by basalt columns. Practical points: the path is clear and marked and starts from a car park on the road. The climb is steady but not technical. Proper walking shoes. The site is in the east of the country, a very long way from Reykjavik.
The wall reads as a geological record spanning millions of years.
Remains from a time when Iceland was far warmer.
Litlanesfoss, framed by basalt columns, halfway up.
Near Lake Lagarfljót, east Iceland
Between eruptions come long quiet periods in which soil forms on the hardened lava and plants grow. When the next flow arrives it buries and preserves that soil, and the oxidation of iron in it gives the red colour. The thickness of each band indicates how long the calm lasted. This kind of direct reading of strata is rarely so clear.
East Iceland is the least visited stretch of the Ring Road, which is a reason to go rather than against it: the fjords, the small villages and the empty roads. Hengifoss and Stuðlagil are among its highlights. But do not plan it as a day trip from Reykjavik — the distance is over six hundred kilometres.
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