Geysir (full name The Great Geysir), in the Haukadular valley, Iceland is the oldest geyser in recorded history and one of the world's most impressive examples of the phenomenon. Indeed the English word geyser to describe a spouting hot spring derives for Geysir, the place (which itself is related to the Icelandic verb gjosa meaning to erupt). Geysir lies on the slopes of Laugarfjall hill which is all the home of the Strokkur geyser. Geysir currently erupts two to three times a day, sending boiling water about forty metres into the sky on each eruption.
History of Geysir
The oldest accounts of a geyser at Haukadular date back to 1294. Earthquakes in the area caused significant changes in local neighbouring landscape creating several new hot springs. Changes in the activity of the Geysir and the surround geysers are strongly related to earthquake activity. In records dated 1630 the geysers erupted so violently that the valley around them trembled. Descriptions of the Great Geysir and Strokkur have been given in every travel guide to Iceland published from the 18th century onwards. Today the geyser remains an essential element of almost every tourists itinerary. In recent times earthquakes have tended to revive the activity of Geysir which then subsides again in the following years. Before 1896 Geysir was almost dormant before an earthquake that year caused eruptions to begin again, occurring several times a day, lasting upto an hour and causing spouts of upto 60 metres in height. By 1935 the geyser was almost dormant again and a manmade channel was dug through the silica rim around the edge of the geyser vent. This ditch caused a lowering of the watertable and a revival in activity. Gradually this channel too clogged with silica and eruptions again became rare. In 1981 the ditch was cleared again and eruptions could be stimulated, on special occasions, by the addition of soap. Following environmental concerns the practice of adding soap was seldom employed during the 1990s. A further earthquake in 2000 revived the geyser again. Initially eruptions were taking place on average eight times a day. By July 2003 this activity had again decreased to around three times per day.
Strokkur geyser's activity has also been affected by earthquakes, although to a lesser extent than the Great Geysir. Eruptions of up to 20 metres occur approximately every four minutes and thus this geyser remains the focus of tourist attention. There are around thirty much smaller geysers and hot pools in the area.
Ownership of the Geysir area
Until 1894 the Geysir area was owned by a local farmer. In that year the area was sold to James Craig (later Lord Craigavon), a whisky distiller and future Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Initially he erected large fences around the site and an entrance fee was charged for visitors wishing to view the geysers. The following year however Craig appeared to tire of his project and gave the area as a present to a friend, E. Craig who dropped the entrance fees. Later Craig's nephew Hugh Rogers inherited the site. In 1935 he sold the site to film director Sigurdur Jonasson who subsequently donated to the Icelandic people in perpuity.
Some photographs of the Strokkur geyser erupting may be seen on the geyser page.
Geology and physics of Geysir's eruptions
Please see the geyser article for a general description.References
