Jökulsárgljúfur National Park was a national park, situated in the north of Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

 around the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum

Jökulsá á Fjöllum

Jökulsá á Fjöllum is the second longest river of Iceland . Its source is the Vatnajökull glacier. It flows into the Arctic Sea. Jökulsá á Fjöllum streams over the waterfalls Selfoss and Dettifoss, the second of which is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, and through the canyon at...

. It lay to the north of the Dettifoss

Dettifoss

Dettifoss is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe.It is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland. The falls are 100...

 waterfall. On 7 June 2008, it became a part of the larger Vatnajökull National Park

Vatnajökull National Park

Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland was founded on June 7, 2008. It is the largest national park in Europe, covering around 12,000 km² , including all of Vatnajökull glacier, and the former Skaftafell National Park, Jökulsárgljúfur National Park and surrounding area.The construction of four new...

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The area is of interest because of its chaotic canyon

Canyon

A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...

 and volcanic mountains. Eight thousand years ago, a volcano

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

 erupted directly underneath the river and glacial ice

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

. This caused explosions and chaotic flooding

Jökulhlaup

A jökulhlaup is a glacial outburst flood. It is an Icelandic term that has been adopted by the English language. It originally referred to the well-known subglacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull, Iceland which are triggered by geothermal heating and occasionally by a volcanic subglacial...

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The center of the park was Hljóðaklettar (rock of echoes). Rauðhólar (red mountain) is of interest because of its special colouring. Another sight is the canyon of Ásbyrgi

Ásbyrgi

thumb|right|200px|The rock "island" in the centre of Ásbyrgi canyonÁsbyrgi canyon lies in the north of Iceland, about two hours' drive to the east from Akureyri. The horseshoe-shaped depression is part of the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park and measures approximately 3.5 km in length and 1.1 km across...

 to the north of the park which is formed like a horseshoe

Horseshoe

A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...

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External links

• Travel guide – on nat.is