This is one of the Hvítá rivers in Iceland. I say one of, as there are multiple rivers called Hvítá in Iceland (I think there are three). Hvítá means “white river” in Icelandic and since many rivers here originate from glaciers, they contain glacial flour that can make the water milky white.

This river is near the Hraunfossar waterfalls that I featured in an earlier post. Although the surrounding area is rather flat, the water flows violently though this section, cutting an “S” shaped path in the basalt columns and providing a striking contrast to the dark volcanic rock.

Some of the water splashes out of the confines of the river and ends up in crevices and hollows. In these puddles you can see that the water has a milky appearance…even in relative stillness.