For the town of Selfoss near Reykjavík, see Selfoss (town)

Selfoss (town)

Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of Ölfusá river.It is part, and seat, of the municipality Árborg. The Ring Road runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella...

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Selfoss is a waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

 in the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum

Jökulsá á Fjöllum

Jökulsá á Fjöllum is the second longest river of Iceland . Its source is the Vatnajökull glacier. It flows into the Arctic Sea. Jökulsá á Fjöllum streams over the waterfalls Selfoss and Dettifoss, the second of which is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, and through the canyon at...

 in the north of Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

 which drops over some waterfalls about 30 km before flowing into Öxarfjörður, a bay of the Arctic Sea.

A few hundred meters downstream of the Selfoss waterfall (11 m high), the Dettifoss

Dettifoss

Dettifoss is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe.It is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The falls are 100...

 waterfall is situated, the most powerful waterfall of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. The river originates as melt water from the glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 Vatnajökull

Vatnajökull

Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country.-Size:With an area of 8,100 km², Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe by volume and the second largest in area Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in...

 and therefore the water flow varies depending on the season, the weather and volcanic activity

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

. The river falls 44 m over a width of 100 m. Below the falls, the river passes through a gorge which is part of the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park

Jökulsárgljúfur National Park

Jökulsárgljúfur National Park was a national park, situated in the north of Iceland around the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum. It lay to the north of the Dettifoss waterfall. On 7 June 2008, it became a part of the larger Vatnajökull National Park....

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See also

• Waterfalls of Iceland
  Waterfalls of Iceland
  Iceland is unusually suited for waterfalls. This small island country has a north Atlantic climate that produces frequent rain or snow and a near-Arctic location that produces large glaciers, whose summer melts feed many rivers...
  
  
• List of waterfalls