Svartifoss (means Black...

Svartifoss (means Black Waterfall) obtains its name not from the color of its waters which foam white over the cliff edge, but from the black basalt columns that flank the waterfall. Arranged in a regular hexagonal pattern, the rocks hang off the cliff face like organpipes.

Iceland's geology is dominated by volcanic activity. Large eruptions of basalt lava may create deep flows of molten rock. As the rock slowly cools it shrinks slightly. The stresses cause jointing in several different planes, and columns of rock form with a generally hexagonal shape, like pencils.

There are mightier waterfalls in Iceland, but few are as instantly recognisable as Svartifoss