Where on Earth? - November 2009

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Martin Ystenes

Clues for November 2009:

1. Fed partly by a glacier, this waterfall is reputedly among the most powerful of its continent, discharging at least some 200 cubic meters of water per second.

2. As the dark color of the water here suggests, this approximately 45-meter-high waterfall carries a huge amount of sediment.

3. Located in the far northeastern corner of its host island nation, the waterfall shares its name with a musical composition by a 20th century classical composer from the same country.

Name this waterfall and its location.

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Answer: Among the most powerful waterfalls in Europe, Dettifoss, in northeastern Iceland, discharges at least 200 cubic meters of water per second. The approximately 45-meter-high waterfall is fed in part by a glacier and serves as the name of a musical composition by the 20th century Icelandic classical composer Jón Leifs. Photo by Martin Ystenes.

November winners
Bryan Barrow (Baker City, Ore.)
Andrea Ferguson (Nashville, Ind.)
Robert Fleischer (Schenectady, N.Y.)
Ross Jones (Winnetka, Ill.)
Leslie Kemp (New Haven, Mo.)
Bob Lyon (Brookeville, Md.)
Ed Marintsch (Houston, Texas)
Casey McFall (Indianapolis, Ind.)
John Talley (Elkton, Md.)
Shirley Vander Veen (Issaquah, Wash.)

To submit your photographs to our Where on Earth? contest, send them via e-mail to
earth@earthmagazine.org.