rock formation 25 meters high called Eyjan ("the Island"), from which a vast landscape is seen. The canyon's steep sides are formed by cliffs up to 100 metres (330 ft) in height. Within in the canyon is a woodland of birch and willow. Between 1947 and 1977, a number of foreign tree species were introduced, including spruce, larch and pine. The small lake Botnstjörn is home to a variety of waterfowl species. Ásbyrgi was most likely formed by catastrophic glacial flood. The legend explains the unusual shape of the canyon differently. Nicknamed Sleipnir's footprint, it is said that the canyon was formed when Odin's eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, touched one of its feet to the ground here.