Big geyser. Geysers of Iceland: history and description Iceland geysers and hot springs

Iceland is a small island state located in the north Atlantic Ocean. The name of the country comes from iceland - “ice country”. The sights of Iceland are, first of all, its unique nature, unforgettable volcanic landscapes, picturesque lakes, rivers and waterfalls. There are also active and dormant volcanoes, geyser fields and so-called mud volcanoes. There are more than 250 in Iceland separate groups geysers (approximately 7,000 hot springs).

Geysers, as a phenomenon, are found only in zones of volcanism and high seismic activity, where earthquakes and movements of the earth's crust often occur. There are quite a few seismic zones on our planet, but this does not mean that geysers are present in all zones. These are such unique phenomena on Earth that they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Iceland is the only country in Europe that has geysers. And on a global scale, besides Iceland, geysers are found only in a few countries: in Russia (in Kamchatka), in the USA (in national park Yellowstone), Chile and New Zealand.

In a calm state, a geyser is an ordinary source of water that smells of hydrogen sulfide. At the moment of emission, when a mass of boiling water shoots upward, it seems that a bomb exploded on its surface, thereby leaving extraordinary impressions on eyewitnesses.

Most often there are springs that form a fountain in the form of a cone. You can also often see dome-shaped and even bowl-shaped. When geysers of different types erupt at the same time, the spectacle is simply unforgettable.

Iceland is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful places on the ground. And this is largely due to the fairy valley Høykadalur(Haukadalur) - valleys of geysers in Iceland, known throughout the world. It is located in the south of the country, near active volcano Hekla, occupies an area of about 3 km 2 and goes directly to the large tourist junction “Golden Ring”. A large number of tourists constantly flock to this place. Already in the direction of the valley, a most unique sight appears - this is white steam, now creeping, now leveling along the ground, now bursting upward.

The beginning of the appearance of geysers in this region of the globe is usually attributed to 1294, when major changes to the local landscape were caused by earthquakes. They led to the formation of several hot springs.

Iceland's most famous geyser is Grand Geysir (Great Geyser), the very first natural hot fountain discovered by humans. The ancient inhabitants deified him and gave him the name Geysir, after which they began to call all such natural phenomena in the world.

Until 1896 Geysir was practically inactive. Then another earthquake occurred, which forced it to spew masses of boiling water onto the surface again several times a day. In 1910, Geysir was actively erupting every half hour. After 5 years, the interval between its eruptions increased to 6 hours, and in 1916 it almost ceased to operate. Then it became clogged with quartz, and the eruptions stopped completely. Another earthquake that occurred in 2000 led to the resumption of activity of this huge geyser. It began to erupt 8 times a day, and the height of the water thrown up reached only 10 meters. But then the activity of geyser eruptions decreased to 3 times a day.

Another geyser called Strokkur. It throws out a column of steam and hot water to a height of 20-30 meters. This geyser erupts every 4-6 minutes, which is why it is now more popular than the Big Geyser. And sometimes Strokkur can even erupt three times in a row.

However, Geysir and Strokkur are not all the attractions of the famous valley. Here you can find dozens more small geysers and other hot springs, among which Lake Blesi stands out - a reservoir of rare beauty and heavenly blue. It’s always crowded with the influx of travelers near the two-stage Gullfoss waterfall, whose name in translation sounds like Golden Waterfall. Hundreds of tons of water from the fast-flowing Khvitau River roars down from the tops of the mountain range, and myriads of splashes form a fabulously beautiful rainbow.

Excursions: The valley is located approximately in the middle of the Golden Circle, a popular tourist route in southern Iceland that starts in Reykjavik, then passes through central Iceland and returns to Reykjavik. Estimated tour time is about 8 hours. iceland geyser tourist valley

How to get there: You can get to Iceland through Helsinki, Stockholm or Copenhagen. The shortest flight is via Helsinki - six hours. The Icelandic airline Icelandair has agreements with the Scandinavian airlines SAS and Finnair, thanks to which you can buy through tickets for flights from Moscow or St. Petersburg.

You can also get to Iceland by ferry. The only flight connecting continental Europe and Iceland departs from the port of Hirtshals (Denmark), travel time is just over 48 hours, arriving in the port city of Seydisfjörður.

You can get to the Valley of Geysers by bus. From Reykjavik there is a bus every thirty minutes to the geysers. The road runs along almost the entire perimeter of the territory. You can also hire an SUV that will quickly take you deep into the island. The cost of renting such a car will cost two hundred euros per day.

Number of tourists: Every year Iceland becomes more and more popular and attracts a huge number of tourists from all over the world. An unprecedented influx of foreign tourists was recorded in 2014. Most tourists come from the UK, USA, France and Germany. During the first half of 2015, 120 thousand British, almost 100 thousand Americans, 37 thousand Germans, 26 thousand French entered the country through the airport.

According to the airport, until 2011, no more than 2 thousand people arrived from Russia per year, but in 2012 there were already 4,724 people, in 2013 - 6,988 people, in 2014 - 7,964 people.

In total, in 2015 the country expected more than 1 million tourists, in the past there were 960 thousand. For the Icelanders, this is a record, but they are not going to stop and plan to receive 3 million tourists annually by 2020. For a country with a population of 320 thousand people, this is a very good result.

Iceland is the most beautiful country in the world. The island is located in the Atlantic Ocean, right next to the Arctic Circle. Iceland has fabulous beauty, although its nature is rather ascetic. It is a country of glaciers, volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs.

The ancient population of Iceland are pagans, and since the 17th century, Lutheranism, which is a type of Protestantism, has been established in this place.

Iceland's landscapes are rare. At one time, a third of the island was covered with forests, but today it is less than a hundredth of it. The very first settlers are to blame for this. They burned out huge areas of forest, at a time when their fields were depleted, and then the forests were used for crops. Over time, the island was practically left without forest, and one rather serious problem arose, which caused soil erosion. For those who wish, it can be organized. Look at here.

About 100 km from the main city of Iceland is a valley of geysers called Haukadalur, famous throughout the world. A large number of tourists constantly flock to this place. Already in the direction of the valley, a most unique sight appears - this is white steam, now creeping, now leveling along the ground, now bursting upward. It is because of this spectacle main city Iceland and got its name. This can be explained by the fact that in 871. The Norwegian sailor Ingolfur Arnarson came to the coast of this island. And he wanted to call this area Reykjavik, which translated means “Smoking Harbor”.

Description of the geyser

Iceland's most famous geyser is the Great Geysir. The ancient inhabitants deified it, gave it the name Geysir, and then they began to call all similar natural phenomena all over the world that way.

It must be said that today this geyser has lost its former strength; at present, it practically no longer breaks through to the surface.

Quite often this is accomplished by the second geyser, which is called Strokkur, which translated from Icelandic means “Oil Tub.” It throws out a column of hot water and steam to a height of approximately 20-30 meters. The eruption of this geyser takes place in 2-6 minutes, which is why it is currently more popular than Geysir. At times, Strokkur even erupts three times at once. The waters in the streams that flow from this geyser smell of sulfur.

However, these two giants are not the only geysers in this area. You can also find small geysers in the valley, some of them can throw fountains of hot water to a small height, some simply splash water, and some of them look like seething or bubbling puddles.

And in this case, you should not assume that they are completely harmless to humans. It is not recommended to go very close to the edge, because if you suddenly find yourself in a geyser, you can simply be boiled alive. This can sometimes happen to careless horses, cows, and other livestock. Instead of this, you have the opportunity to go swimming to other geysers, where their water is not so hot.

Looking at geysers from a scientific point of view, they can only be found where there are volcanoes and these geysers are a manifestation of volcanic activity.

The road is shrouded in fog, white steam visible from a distance, which either floats above the ground, then rises up, and water - seething, boiling, hissing, which here and there erupts into the sky like a fountain. The Valley of Geysers in Iceland contains 250 groups of geyser fields, of which about seven thousand are located separately from others thermal springs. And, although hot fountains can be found not only in this country, it was thanks to the Icelanders that this interesting and fascinating phenomenon received its name - from Icelandic “geyser” is translated as “the one that throws out a stream.”

The Valley of Geysers in Iceland appeared at the end of the 13th century after an extremely large earthquake, which significantly changed the seismic pattern of the entire region.

And four centuries later, a kind of record was even recorded here - most of the geysers almost at the same time emitted water so that the entire island trembled. After this, the activity for which the Valley of Geysers was so famous dropped noticeably and at the moment the Valley of Geysers is behaving quite peacefully.

Each geyser has a different scale of water eruption - some erupt low above the ground, others throw water up twenty, thirty or more meters, and this is considered a normal phenomenon.

Locals have long learned to distinguish geysers by the shape of the water column they form. Most often there are springs that form a fountain in the form of a cone. You can also often see dome-shaped and even bowl-shaped. When geysers of different types erupt at the same time, the spectacle is simply unforgettable.

Volcanoes and gezers are amazing phenomena of the natural world that occur close to each other. Why are volcanoes and geysers connected to each other? Volcanoes are structures made from lava that has poured onto the surface. Hot magma heats underground springs to high temperatures if they are nearby. Then the pressurized water bursts out, forming a powerful fountain. So, a geyser appears.

One of the most visited places in Iceland, where tourists from all over the world come, is the Valley of Geysers - Haukadalur, which is located in the south of the country, not far from the active volcano Hekla. It is here that there are hot springs, a waterfall, mud ponds and a huge number of geysers. The Valley of Geysers contains the most famous springs - the Old Geysir (Geyser) and Strokkur.

The Great Geysir is the very source from which the hot geysers got their name and is a kind of symbol of Iceland - therefore, once a year, on June 17, when the country of geysers celebrates the National Day of Iceland, ecologists, on behalf of the government, artificially “wake up” the Geyser without using volcanoes.

Previously, during an eruption, it was capable of spewing water 70 meters into the air, however, recently this happens less and less often and for a longer period of time it is in a period of calm and looks like a calm green lake. Quiet nearby volcanoes were also to blame for this. Therefore, tourists from all over the world who want to see Geysir letting off steam often have to be patient and spend a lot of time near it, since it can “wake up” either once or twice a day or “sleep” for months.

It is worth noting that after the great eruption of the geysers, Geysir was almost inactive for a long time. Then, at the beginning of the 20th century, after one of the earthquakes, it “woke up” and again began to spew out hot fountains almost every half hour. After a few years, the geyser began to slowly calm down, and was subsequently filled with quartz - and the emissions practically stopped. But in those rare moments when Geysir did erupt a fountain, its height in some cases reached 70 meters and left unforgettable impressions on eyewitnesses.

Strokkur is located only 40 meters from Geysir and is the only constantly active geyser in the valley - every few minutes it spews fountains to a height of ten, twenty, and in some cases up to forty meters. To the delight of tourists, it can quite often make about three emissions in a row, which is also facilitated by volcanoes.

Near it you can see a huge number of small lakes, completely filled with amazingly clean blue transparent water, which are actually outlets of underground hot water.

Beware - geysers

Since geysers erupt to the surface from underground at enormous speed, under extremely strong pressure, and their temperature often reaches 150 degrees, you need to observe them only from a distance, and even more so you absolutely must not approach the edge - if you accidentally fall into it, you could to be boiled alive (which can sometimes be observed in the example of careless animals).

If you want to swim in warm spring, you need to go to special places designed for this - there are many of them in Iceland. The Valley of Geysers also contains hot springs, which are absolutely harmless to humans.

How Icelanders use geysers

The Valley of Geysers helps Icelanders heat 85% of their homes - this makes it possible not to use petroleum products for heating premises, which not only has a positive effect on the environment, but also allows the state treasury to save a lot of money.

The Valley of Geysers heats numerous greenhouses in which flowers and fruits uncharacteristic for this area are grown.

Some of these greenhouses are parks, which is important for Icelanders, since for various reasons trees almost do not grow in the country and green plants are rare.

Geysers are a very beautiful natural phenomenon. You can watch the fountains of seething water soaring several tens of meters into the sky for a very long time. Time flies by during this activity, as the spectacle is incredibly hypnotizing! There are not many places in the world where you can admire geysers. The most famous are our native Kamchatka, the Yellow Stone Nature Reserve in America and the actual valley of geysers Haukadalur (Haukadalur) in Iceland, which we visited while in this incredible country! The Golden Circle is Iceland's most popular attractions located in close proximity to Reykjavik. The excursion route includes: geyser line Haukadalur (Haukadalur). These three places are popular both due to their convenient location relative to the capital of Iceland and due to their primeval beauty!

As soon as the number of people in Thingvelir National Park began to increase, we decided that it was time to continue our journey. In addition, the route for the day was very busy and there was no time to linger too much. The next place on the plan was the valley of geysers Haukadalur. We got there in 40 - 50 minutes, all this time we were looking out the windows at the beautiful Icelandic expanses with our mouths open!

Near the valley there is a parking lot with a shop and a cafe. And there were already people here, quite a lot but not too many yet. We parked and went to see the miracle of nature!
Already on the way to the main geyser it is clear that this valley is volcanically active! There is a boiling river and many streams and pools of boiling water! Steam rises from all sides.
There are signs everywhere warning that the water is very hot!

The first on the way is a geyser from which the name of all the boiling fountains gushing from underground comes from - Geysir, also called the Great or even the Great Geyser.

Alas, it is now a dormant geyser. Wikipedia talks about volcanic activity that changed the landscape, causing the fountain to flow less and less from the bowels of the earth, and then stopped altogether.

Another version is that Geysir was bombarded with coins and small stones by curious tourists... Especially for such clever people, there are now signs near the geysers that throwing anything into the water is prohibited!

But there is one day when one hundred percent you can see how the sixty-meter fountain soars into the heights, this is the National Day of Iceland. Geologists pour a soap mixture into the geyser and it delights visitors with its powerful eruption! On other days it looks like a large and deep puddle.

Not far from the Big Geyser there is a small one.

Small but mighty!

Well, Geysir’s brother, the Strokkur geyser, has already gathered a lot of observers. Everyone is looking forward to the show starting! The main thing in photo hunting is not to lower the camera until the last minute and press the button on time!

Strokkur. Golden Ring of Iceland

While the geyser is gaining power between the launching of fountains, the water in its reservoir now and then begins to boil and rises into a water bubble. It turns out beautiful.

Everyone watches his activity with bated breath and tries to catch the moment when he finally bangs in order to take better shots!

And when it seems that the geyser is about to explode and show its power, it suddenly calms down. It seems that he is teasing impatient tourists.
And the main thing here is to be patient. We stayed near Strokkur for quite a long time; catching a fountain of good height and filming its eruption from start to finish was not easy!
But when it finally succeeds, the joy knows no bounds! In the video at the end, there is a fountain that we managed to film!
And to capture the full scale of the valley and the gushing geyser, we walked through the smoking hills around. Photo by Andreas Tille

In the cold Atlantic, near the Arctic Circle, lies a unique fairy-tale island - Iceland. Its beauty is ascetic and harsh: volcanoes erupt, mud lakes smack, hot springs swirl with steam, glaciers slide down the mountains.

A hundred kilometers from the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, lies the Valley of Geysers.

A spectacular sight opens up already on the way to it: from a distance white steam is visible, either spreading above the ground, or rushing upward. This is what prompted the Norwegian navigator Ingolfur Arnarson, who landed here in 871, to name the capital of Iceland Reykjavik, which means “Smoking Harbor”.

There are about 30 geysers in Iceland, among which the Jumping Witch (Gryla) stands out, spewing a steam-water mixture to a height of 15 meters approximately every 2 hours. The island is also home to one of the most active geysers in the world - Strokkur, which erupts every 5-10 minutes, and Geysir (Old Geysir), the most famous geyser.

Geysir (Il. Geysir, better known as the Great Geysir, Il. Stori Geysir) in the Haukadalur Valley is the very first geyser of the “Golden Circle of Iceland”, which gained European fame. Geysir is located 500 meters from the Hekla volcano, on the slope of the Lugerfall hill, just 400 meters north of the Strokkur geyser. The name comes from the Icelandic verb gjosa (meaning “to break through”) and gives the name to all other geysers in the world.

During an eruption, Geysir can shoot hot water up to 60 meters high, but these eruptions are infrequent and Geysir can lie dormant for years. During periods of calm, it takes the form of a green lake with a diameter of 18 meters and a depth of 1.2 meters.

Photo by RogerMcLassus

The appearance of geysers dates back to 1294, when earthquakes caused significant changes in the local landscape, creating several hot springs. Changes in the activity of Geysir are largely associated with these earthquakes. In the record year of 1630, many geysers exploded so that the ground around them trembled, as if a giant was walking on it.

The Geysir remained almost inactive until 1896, when a new earthquake forced it to again spew masses of boiling water onto the surface several times a day. In 1910, Geysir actively erupted every thirty minutes, but five years later the time between eruptions increased to 6 hours and in 1916 the eruptions almost stopped.

In 1935, an artificial channel was dug through a layer of quartz around the edge of the geyser, which influenced the active decrease in the groundwater level and, as a result, the revival of the geyser. Over time, this channel was again clogged with quartz, but in 1981 it was cleared again and eruptions continued, but in exceptional cases eruptions could be stimulated by adding soap. During the 90s, the practice of adding soap virtually disappeared due to the emergence of environmental problems and therefore Geysir eruptions were very rare, but when the eruption began, it was really exciting to watch the column of water and steam reach a height of up to 70 meters. But on June 17, Iceland's National Day, the government authorizes geologists to force Geysir to erupt.

In 2000, the next earthquake restored the Geysir's activity and initially eruptions occurred eight times a day, reaching a height of only 10 meters, but closer to July 2003, the geyser's activity subsided to three times a day.

Photos of Lingonberry

The nearby Strokkur Geyser is a geyser in southeastern Iceland in a geothermal region near the Hvitau River. It erupts much more often than its ancestor, approximately every five minutes, to a height of up to 20 meters. Strokkur's activities were also affected by the earthquakes, but not as much as the Great Geysir. There are also more than 30 small geysers and hot pools in the area, including the Little Geysir (Litli Geysir).

Grila the Jumping Witch

The mouth of the Great Geyser (its diameter is about 3 m) protrudes from a pool of limestone tuff that looks like a giant bowl. Greenish boiling water splashes in it, which either disappears into the hole, then overflows the mouth and pours into the pool. Eventually, the geyser begins to erupt and a fountain, 40 to 60 m high, shoots up into the sky three times, throwing out almost 220 tons of water in an hour. Then the water disappears into the crater.

Between explosions, boiling water boils in its mouth. It is interesting to watch the life of the geyser. When it is calm, the main and also the secondary basins are filled with light blue water that smells of hydrogen sulfide.

A tourist route

Detailed descriptions of the Great Geysir and Strokkur have been given in every guidebook since the beginning of the 18th century. Today these geysers are a must-see on almost every tourist's itinerary, along with Thingvellir Valley and Gullfossom Waterfall, part of the popular Golden Circle a tourist route in southern Iceland.

Staring at geysers is the main tourist pleasure. The Big Geysir is 100 kilometers from the Icelandic capital; regular and excursion buses go there. You can't come to Iceland and not see the geysers. But sometimes very curious tourists come so close to the geysers that they get burned. So be careful not to get hurt by your own curiosity! And then, most likely, you will have pleasant memories from your trip to Iceland.

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