Fjaðrárgljúfur

63°46′16.5″N 18°10′19″W / 63.771250°N 18.17194°W / 63.771250; -18.17194

Fjaðrárgljúfur (pronounced [ˈfjaðrˌaurˌkljuː(v)ʏr̥], "feather river canyon") is a canyon in south east Iceland. The Fjaðrá river flows through it.

The canyon has steep walls and winding water. It is up to 100 m (330 ft) deep[1] and about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) long.[2] It is located near the Ring Road, not far from the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur.[3]

Its origins dates back to the cold periods of the Ice Age, about two million years ago. The canyon was created by progressive erosion by flowing water from glaciers through the rocks and palagonite over millennia.[4] A waterfall flows down the western side of the canyon, visible from an observation platform at the end of a one-mile hike up the eastern edge.[5]

In May 2019, authorities closed the canyon to visitors after it appeared in the music video for Justin Bieber's "I'll Show You". The resulting stream of visitors threatened to damage the canyon's environment.[6]

Panorama

Panorama showing Fjadrárgljúfur, viewed from the tourist footpath.
Fjadrárgljúfur, as viewed from the tourist footpath
Wide angle panoramic view of Fjaðrárgljúfur, Iceland

References

  1. ^ "EnjoyIceland.is - Fjaðrárgljúfur - A canyon - South East Iceland". enjoyiceland.is. Retrieved 19 Sep 2012.
  2. ^ Collectif; Dominique Auzias; Jean-Paul Labourdette (27 April 2011). Islande. Petit Futé. pp. 188–. ISBN 978-2-7469-4837-2. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  3. ^ Jane Victoria Appleton; Lisa Gail Shannen (16 December 2010). Frommer's Iceland. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-1-119-99443-5. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  4. ^ Íslandshandbókin. 2. bindi. 1989, S.695
  5. ^ "Iceland In 8 Days: Deep Inside Fjadrargljufur Canyon". icelandin8days.com. Retrieved 22 Jan 2018.
  6. ^ "Justin Bieber effect leads to closure of Icelandic canyon". The Guardian. Associated Press. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fjaðrárgljúfur&oldid=1185221426"