Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park is a valley in southwestern Iceland, near the Reykjanes Peninsula, 40 km northeast of its capital, Reykjavík. Thingvellir received the status of a national park in 1928 and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Russian, Thingvellir means “fields for meetings.”
General information
Right below it, geologists draw their imaginary lines between the American and European continental plates. Each year, these two giant plates diverge another 2 centimeters. The resulting stresses in the tectonic layers are constantly breaking through, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. In the Thingvellir region alone there are 4 active volcanoes, the largest of which is Hen-gil, on the northern shore of Lake Thingvatlavatn. This lake is the largest in Iceland, with an area of 83 square kilometers and a depth of 114 m.
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Over the past 9000 years, Thingvellir Gorge has managed to drop from 60 meters below sea level to 90 meters. The American and European tectonic plates drifting in different directions have formed a characteristic landscape with gorges, canyons and rock faults. A characteristic example of such a fault is the Almannagyau Gorge (“People’s Gorge”), which is deeply embedded in volcanic rocks. The Exarau River, famous for its waterfall, the Exaraufoss, flows through the gorge. Steam is constantly billowing above the river. It is released when the icy water comes into contact with the rock bed, heated by volcanic activity.
.The most beautiful waterfall in Iceland is a stone’s throw away from Thingvellir and Exaraufoss. It is Gullfoss (“Golden Waterfall”), a two-tiered waterfall that plunges its waters over the mouth of the Hvitau River into the depths. It is 32 meters high with a relatively short length. Every second about 30 cubic meters of water passes through it. It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. At the base of the steep cliff tons of water literally fly into the abyss. If you look at the right angle, it’s easy to imagine that the water just disappears into the depths of the earth.
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In the Gullfoss area, a basalt plate fault runs from southwest to northeast. Its direction coincides with the upper part of the cascade. The lower part of Gullfoss is more in line with an imaginary plate fault line running northwest to southeast. As the water falls over the first ledge, it carries huge amounts of debris and rock fragments, giving the water flow a tremendous erosive force that hollowed out the deepest depression in the Hvitau channel.
.Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and the nearby Heikardalur Geyser Valley, home to Iceland’s most famous hot springs, are together part of the Golden Ring. Iceland’s Golden Ring is one of Europe’s most attractive wonders of the world.
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