The Iceland year-book - 01.01.1926, Blaðsíða 20

ly with the crystal purity of those which have their
origin in the less icy mountainous
The Niagaras regions. Both the one and the other
of Iceland. form, in their courses, scores
of waterfalls of great volume as well
as of great height. One of these, the Dettifoss, drain-
ing in part the monstrous south-eastern ice-tract,
holds the foremost place among European cascades,
though few other than native eyes have looked upon
the mighty natural marvel. It is situated in one of
the largest of the several streams which bear the
name of Jokulsa, flowing towards the northern sea,
and precipitates itself wTith sudden fierceness into
a great gorge nearly a score of miles in length, bord-
ered by rocky walls from 100 to 150 feet in height.
The vast depth of the water, charged with glacial
clay making it of turbid whiteness, rushes, foaming,
frothing, steaming, and thundering, down some 330
feet into the narrow chasm, actually, in its fiery
fury, causing the rocks, which enclose it, to tremble.
Only less inferior in majesty are the Gullfoss, at
no great distance from the Great Geysir; the GoSa-
foss on the northern Skjalfandafljot, overhung by
its canopy of mist, and growling out its far-heard
roar; the FjarSararfoss in the East; the Skogafoss
in the southern realm of jokulls, which, when looked
down upon by the midday sun, reveals, in rock and
water, an astonishing play of colour; the very not-
able trio of falls, gay in summer -with verdure and
flowers — one of them adorned with a charming
islet on its very verge — situated in the Sog, the
outlet of the Thingvallavatn; and, besides these, a
host of other floods, in other parts, pouring over
steep cliffs. These are the Niagaras of the island,
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