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Iceland - Strokkur - Geysir's Smaller Brother | by Ben124.
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Iceland - Strokkur - Geysir's Smaller Brother

There is only one Icelandic word used in the English language: geyser. Though the word refers to all geysers in general, it comes from a single geyser (in fact, the geyser) located in the South West of Iceland. Unfortunately, the Great Geysir has been somewhat shy in recent decades, though on special occasions it can sometimes be coaxed into a performance with some soap. When Geysir does perform, it lives up to its name, spraying a jet of steaming water 200 feet skyward. Far more reliable, though less spectacular, is nearby Strokkur (“the churn”), which spouts a 60-100 foot jet about once every five minutes. The geyser area is also rich in walking paths that lead past steaming vents and colourful, mineral-rich mud formations. The whole area is a geothermal park sitting on top of a vast boiling cauldron. Belching sulphurous mud pots of unusual colours, hissing steam vents, hot and cold springs, warm streams, and primitive plants can all be found here.

We stopped at the geothermal area of Geysir, the geyser for which all geysers are named. The famous Geysir now only erupts after large earthquakes and last erupted in 2000. Its little brother, Strokkur, erupts much more frequently, about 6-8 minutes apart. . People gather around the geyser and stare at the mouth, watching the water boil, in full anticipation with cameras ready. If you turn away, you’ll miss it. When you take a photo of one there are not that many ways to come up with unique composition. You can try a longer exposure of 1sec to give it slightly softer feel. You have to be ready even if it means standing still waiting for the eruption for up to 20 min with the camera in the right position. The geyser spouts upward close to 30 meter high and then it’s done. Sometimes there is a smaller spurt immediately before the large eruption.

Why does a geyser erupt?



What will become of Geysir?

The water level in the Geysir has been artificially lowered, but recent volcanic activity has reactivated it, so Geysir has somewhat found it's renewed life. Unfortunately, Geysir now erupts to no specific timetable.


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Taken on October 23, 2009