Overview
About Hengifoss
Lava layers and ancient vegetation
The cliff contains successive basalt layers separated by reddish sediments. Sedimentary deposits beneath the lava sequence preserve evidence of vegetation millions of years old, including lignite and remains of tree trunks and roots. These materials record intervals when plants occupied the landscape before later lava buried them. The gorge exposes this sequence vertically, allowing contrasting volcanic and sedimentary layers to be seen together.
Two waterfalls on one river
Below Hengifoss, the same river forms Litlanesfoss, a smaller waterfall framed by basalt columns. The two falls display different arrangements of basalt within one gorge: Hengifoss emphasises broad layered cliffs, while Litlanesfoss exposes prominent columns. They belong to a connected river landscape rather than separate geological attractions.
Traces of farming history
Remains of a sheep corral near the gorge's mouth recall the area's agricultural use. It served autumn sheep gatherings until around 1900, adding a modest but tangible human history to the much older geological record.
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