Geysir

The Great Geysir ( Isl Stóri geyser ) is a geyser in the south of Iceland in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð. The Great Geysir is eponymous for this type of geothermal sources, which were well known in other parts of the world until the 19th century. Its name is derived from the Icelandic word Gjosa ( German gush forth ). He is the oldest known still occasionally active geyser.

Also, the volcanic system in very geothermally active area Haukadalur at the foot of the lava dome Laugarfjall in the south of the island is named after him.

For volcanic geyser system

The volcanic system in Haukadalur consists of an eroded central volcano basalt and rhyolite from Lavadomen from the Pleistocene. After the ice age no eruptions in the volcanic system were noted, but it is still active.

The high temperature area is approximately 500 m long and 100 m wide. On the other hand, it seems still to have been much more extensive in the past: The typical cover of the springs silicate panels cover an area of 200,000 m2.

Operation

The operation of a geyser has long been unexplained. It was only in 1846, Robert Bunsen was able to explore the geyser on a trip to Iceland and explain its function scientifically.

Spring sources, which are called geysers, arise when they have a relatively narrow channel eruption. By Magma been heated seepage of the water column in the channel eruption on well over 100 ° C is heated due to the pressure. Individual bubbles to rise and squeeze some of the water out. Thus, the pressure drops and the superheated water turns abruptly into water vapor. The following eruption can blow up to 100 feet in the air, the water.

In the case of the Great Geyser was determined as the source of about 20 m below the surface, a hot water flow rate of 127 ° C temperature.

History

The Great Geyser was in 1294 for the first time in the so-called Oddsverja mentioned annáll when a strong earthquake shook the previously known sources of Haukadalur and geological activity significantly changed. In 1647 he was described by the Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson first time under the name geyser. In the 17th century it was discovered that the activities of the Spring source must be directly related to earthquake related. In 1845 he reached a height of 170 meters. His outbursts usually reached heights up to 60 meters.

In 1915 introduced the Great Geysir one of his activity. Only in 1935 he became active again for a few years, to then sleep for a long time.

In the 1970s, he was taken to break as a tourist attraction with the help of many kilos of soap, but that could take depending on weather conditions over a day. Later this measure was limited to the first weekend in August (Kaufmann weekend ). Under pressure from environmental groups and the early 1980s was abolished.

Since an earthquake in 2000, he is now active again, he breaks but only irregularly. Between 17 and 20 June 2000, the geyser for 2 days reached a height of 122 meters and is considered the highest geyser. The height of its eruptions is now only up to 10 meters, however, the duration of an outbreak has extended.

In the wake of the financial crisis, Iceland's economy has more set to tourism. Now you could in the 1990s with only a two times trains running daily bus reach the Great Geysir and visit with, so he is one of the main objectives of the Icelandic tourism industry dar. There have joined numerous large space parking, outlet stores, lodges and souvenir shops.

Other better-known sources in Haukadalur ( South Iceland )

A few meters next to him are regularly active geyser Strokkur and other original sources as Smiður and Litli Geysir ( The small geyser ) and a large number of other hot water sources, such as Blesi.