Strokkur & Geysir, Iceland

Ike views the original Geysir, after which all other geysers get their name

Geography Cat’s official stunt double Ike was fascinated to see the original Geysir, from which all other erupting hot springs get their name. Geysir itself erupts less frequently now, but its neighbour Strokkur erupts beautifully every 8 minutes or so.

Ike watches the pressure build in Strokkur before the eruption
Sinter is the build up of opaline silica around the edges of geysers. Sometimes known as geyserite, a 3.48-billion-year-old example of this was found to possess evidence of the earliest life on Earth!
Strokkur sinter edges and the deep abyss of super-heated water, surrounded by snow

Geysers are formed where surface water can percolate through permeable rock in volcanically active regions. There are very few places where active geysers can be seen, most are in just five countries: USA, Russia, Chile, New Zealand and Iceland. Their activity fluctuates because of earthquakes opening and closing the fissures that surround them.

A small bubbling fissure close to Strokkur may become much more active in the future, dependant on which gaps open and close in future earthquakes

One Reply to “Strokkur & Geysir, Iceland”

  1. Amazing geographical information. Every tectonic plate is different!

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