  gullfoss ("golden falls"; ) is a waterfall located in the canyon of hvÃ­tÃ¡ river in southwest iceland. gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in iceland. the wide hvÃ­tÃ¡ rushes southward. about a kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the right and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 m and 21 m) into a crevice 32&nbsp;m (105&nbsp;ft) deep. the crevice, about 20&nbsp;m (60&nbsp;ft) wide, and 2.5&nbsp;km in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. the average amount of water running over this waterfall is 140 mÂ³/s in the summertime and 80 mÂ³/s in the wintertime. the highest flood measured was 2000 mÂ³/s. as one first approaches the falls, the crevice is obscured from view, so that it appears that a mighty river simply vanishes into the earth. during the first half of the 20th century and some years into the late 20th century, there was much speculation about using gullfoss to generate electricity. during this period, the waterfall was rented indirectly by its owners, tÃ³mas tÃ³masson and halldÃ³r halldÃ³rsson, to foreign investors. however, the investors' attempts were unsuccessful, partly due to lack of money. the waterfall was later sold to the state of iceland. even after it was sold, there were plans to utilize hvÃ­tÃ¡, which would have changed the waterfall forever. this was not done, and now the waterfall is protected. sigrÃ­Ã°ur tÃ³masdÃ³ttir, the daughter of tÃ³mas tÃ³masson was determined to preserve the waterfall's condition and even threatened to throw herself into the waterfall. although it is widely believed, the very popular story that sigrÃ­Ã°ur did save the waterfall from use is not true. a stone memorial to sigriÃ°ur, located above the falls, depicts her profile. together with Ãingvellir and the geysers of haukadalur, gullfoss forms the golden circle, a popular day tour for tourists in iceland. gullfoss appears on the cover of the album porcupine by the british band echo and the bunnymen. additionally, the falls are referenced in the novella, the odd saga of the american and a curious icelandic flock'
Waterfalls_of_Iceland