Iceland Travel Journal 冰島旅行日記 23 - 2019.10.18 Aldeyjarfoss 阿爾德亞瀑布/婚紗瀑布

Day 5's Notes - Continued 繼續第五天的雜記

F26 (Sprengisandsleið) 斯普倫吉桑公路

To reach the stunning Aldeyjarfoss waterfall, we took the F26 (Sprengisandsleið), also known as the 'Sprengisandur Way'. This highland gravel road is the longest of the Icelandic highland roads, stretching approximately $200 \text{ km}$. It cuts directly through the central Sprengisandur area, running between the two massive glaciers, Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull.

要去壯麗的阿爾德亞瀑布，我們開上了 F26 公路（斯普倫吉桑公路）。這條高地碎石路是冰島最長的高地公路，全長約 200 公里。它直接穿過斯普倫吉桑杜爾中心地帶，位於霍夫斯冰川 (Hofsjökull) 和瓦特納冰川 (Vatnajökull) 兩座巨大的冰川之間。

Photo Date: 2019.10.18

Aldeyjarfoss 阿爾德亞瀑布

The Aldeyjarfoss waterfall is a stunning natural landmark situated in the Highlands of Iceland, marking the northern stretch of the Sprengisandur Highland Road. Here, the powerful river Skjálfandafljót drops 20 meters into a turbulent, icy-cold pool, framed by magnificent rows of hexagonal basalt columns.

Aldeyjarfoss is often nicknamed the "Bridal Veil Falls" due to its shape resembling a bride's veil. To appreciate its beauty fully, visitors must walk down a gravel slope to get a closer look. This effort is well worth it, as you can admire both the beautiful cascade and the majestic basalt walls that surround it.

These perfectly formed, symmetrical hexagonal columns—so precise they appear to be carved by hand—belong to the 9,000-year-old Bárðardalshraun lava field.

They were created centuries ago when lava flowed down the cliff faces at Aldeyjarfoss during an eruption. The outer layer of lava, exposed to the air, cooled and solidified faster than the layers beneath. Because the lava cooled quickly and evenly across a flat surface, it contracted equally into cylindrical columns. These columns then cracked into their distinct hexagonal structures due to differential pressure within the cooling rock.

While similar basalt columns can be found elsewhere in Iceland, those at Aldeyjarfoss are notably diverse in color, featuring yellow and red shades created by the sulfur and iron brought up during the eruption.

阿德亞瀑布是冰島高地一處令人驚嘆的自然地標，位於斯普倫吉桑高地公路的北段。在這裡，奔騰的斯基亞爾凡達河 (Skjálfandafljót) 從 20 公尺高處傾瀉而下，匯入一個湍急冰冷的潭水中，潭邊是壯觀的六棱玄武岩柱群。

阿德亞瀑布因其形狀酷似新娘的面紗，常被暱稱為「婚紗瀑布」。為了充分領略它的美景，遊客必須沿著碎石坡向下走，才能近距離觀賞。這趟路絕對值得，因為不僅可以欣賞到美麗的瀑布，還能欣賞到環繞它的雄偉玄武岩峭壁。

這些形狀完美、對稱的六角形柱體——如此精確，彷彿是手工雕刻而成——屬於有 9000 年歷史的巴爾扎達爾什勞恩 (Bárðardalshraun) 熔岩原。

這些六角形岩柱形成於幾個世紀前，當時火山爆發時，熔岩順著阿爾德亞瀑布的懸崖傾瀉而下。暴露在空氣中的外層熔岩冷卻凝固的速度比下層更快。由於熔岩在平坦的表面上快速均勻地冷卻，因此收縮成圓柱狀。這些圓柱狀岩柱隨後由於冷卻岩石內部的壓力差而斷裂，形成了獨特的六邊形結構。

雖然在冰島其他地方也能找到類似的玄武岩柱，但阿爾德亞瀑布的玄武岩柱顏色卻格外多樣，呈現出黃色和紅色，這是由於火山噴發時攜帶的硫和鐵造成的。