Geysir (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈceiːsɪr̥] ), sometimes known as The Great Geysir, is a geyser in south-western Iceland, that geological studies suggest started forming about 1150 CE. The English word geyser (a periodically spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir. The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa ("to go quickly forward"). Geysir lies in the Haukadalur valley on the slopes of Laugarfjall lava dome, which is also the home to Strokkur geyser about 50 metres (160 ft) to the south. The Strokkur geyser may be confused with it, and the geothermal field it is in is known usually as either, Geysir or Haukadalur.

Eruptions at Geysir can typically hurl boiling water up to 60 m (200 ft) in the air. However, eruptions are nowadays infrequent, and have in the past stopped altogether for many years at a time.

A geyser at the general site is described in a written source by Saxo Grammaticus,[1] as a mention in Gesta Danorum, his work finished about 1206 which was printed in 1514 as Danorum Regum heroumque Historiae.[2] However the oldest definitive accounts of the hot springs at Haukadalur in their present form, date back to 1294,[3] in the chronicle “Oddaverjaannáll”,[4] when earthquakes in the area caused significant changes in local neighbouring landscape, creating several new hot springs.[5] Changes in the activity of Geysir and the surrounding geysers are strongly related to earthquake activity.[5] In records dated 1630, the geysers erupted so violently that the valley around them trembled.[5] The name "Geysir" was first mentioned in written sources in 1647;[4] as unusual natural phenomena were of great interest during the Age of Enlightenment, the term became popular and has been used for similar hydrothermal features worldwide since then.

 1873 drawing of Geysir

In 1809 and 1810 the eruptions were about every 30 hours and up to 30 m (98 ft) high.[1] In 1811 George Mackenzie a geologist, first proposed that expansion of steam in a subsurface cavity explained Geysir's activity.[6] In 1845, it reached a height of 170 m (560 ft).[citation needed] In 1846, research on Geysir, and Iceland sponsored by the Danish Crown, by amongst others, the German chemist Robert Bunsen, resulted in a better general explanation of the mechanism of geyser activity which contributed significantly to the more refined models used today.[7][1] Measurements by Professor Bunsen in that year showed that Geysir was erupting 45–54 m (148–177 ft) high.

In 1882 an account of the first accurate survey (previous attempts were associated with instrument problems), noted that a booming sound warned or Geysir's eruptions, eruptions were about 6 hourly but often of only 5 ft (1.5 m).[8]

The records of recent centuries show that earthquakes have tended to revive the activity of Geysir, which then subsided again in the following years.[9] Before 1896, Geysir was almost dormant.[5] In that year an earthquake caused eruptions to begin again, occurring several times a day, lasting up to an hour and causing spouts of up to 70–80 m (230–260 ft) in height.[10] In 1910, it was active every 30 minutes; by 1915, the time between the eruptions was as much as six hours, and in 1916, the eruptions all but ceased. In 1935, a man-made channel was dug through the silica rim around the edge of the geyser vent.[5] This ditch caused a lowering of the water table and a revival in activity.[5] Gradually this channel also became clogged with silica and eruptions again became rare.[5]

In 1981, the ditch was cleared again and eruptions could be stimulated, on special occasions, by the addition of soap.[5] Due to environmental concerns, soap was seldom added during the 1990s. During that time, Geysir seldom erupted. When it did erupt, it was spectacular, sending boiling water sometimes up to 70 metres (230 ft) into the air. On the Icelandic National Day, authorized government geologists would force an eruption. Further earthquakes in 2000 revived the geyser,[11] and it reached 122 meters for two days.[citation needed], thus becoming one of the highest known geysers in history. (Waimangu Geyser in New Zealand typically erupted higher than this and up to 460 m (1,510 ft) high,[12] but stopped all activity around 1908.[13][14] Initially, Geysir eruptions were taking place on average eight times a day. By July 2003, this activity had again decreased to around three times per day. Large eruptions after this became so rare that one in 2016 was considered newsworthy.[15]

^ a b c "Geyser" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 913–915. ^ "Geysers" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. X (9th ed.). 1879. pp. 556–558. ^ Jones & Renaut 2021, Age of Geysir. ^ a b Jones & Renaut 2021, Introduction. ^ a b c d e f g h Pasvanoglu 1998, p. 282. ^ Hurwitz & Manga 2017, 4.1. Subsurface Processes. ^ Pasvanoglu 1998, p. 287. ^ Peek 1882, p. 132. ^ Walter et al. 2020, 4.2. Implications. ^ Pasvanoglu 1998, p. 286. ^ Stefánsson, Guðmundsson & Halldórsson 2000. ^ Stewart, C. 'Hot springs, mud pools and geysers - Geysers', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2024. ^ Hurwitz & Manga 2017, 4.2. Surface Eruption. ^ Glennon, J Allan "World Geyser Fields" Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-04-04 ^ "Rare eruption of Iceland's most famous hot spring Geysir". 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016.
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