Overview
About Svartifoss Waterfall
How the columns formed
About 300,000 years ago, lava flowed down Skaftafellsheiði and filled an existing river channel. As the lava slowly cooled, it contracted and fractured into columns. These fractures developed perpendicular to the cooling surface. The resulting geometric pattern is a natural cooling structure in the rock, giving the waterfall its distinctive architectural appearance.
The surrounding landscape
The woodland route to Svartifoss also passes Hundafoss and Magnúsarfoss. A longer circuit connects the falls with the Sjónarsker viewpoint and the turf farmhouse at Sel, bringing together woodland, rock formations and evidence of farming. The route climbs the Skaftafell hillside, so its ground conditions change substantially with rain, snow and ice.
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