The most famous geysers and geyser fields in the world. Five myths about geysers

This harsh and inhospitable island (Iceland in translation is “the land of ice”) is interesting in that volcanic phenomena are distinguished here by peculiar features that are not repeated anywhere else.

Here, as if with our own eyes, the most stormy, most ancient periods are restored before us.

Volcanic activity in Iceland

By tense volcanic activity iceland- most notable area the globe. The manifestation of volcanism, which took place here on a grandiose scale in the Tertiary period, has not calmed down to this day.

Lava flows of the most ancient eruptions stretch like a continuous rocky desert, sometimes for tens of kilometers. The largest of them - Odadahraun (in the northeastern half of the island) is over 130 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide.

The total area under the lava flows reaches 7000 square kilometers, i.e. almost equal to Onega lake(without northern bays).

In Iceland - 26 large active volcanoes and many small ones. The most famous is Hekla volcano(1447 meters high), crowned with three peaks. The combination of black basalt scales, black ash and white spots of snow gives Hekla a very gloomy look.

This is one of the most active volcanoes: since the XII century, Hekla has over 70 eruptions. One of largest eruption Gekla was in 1947.

It went on for over a year. The roar of the volcano was heard for 400 kilometers. Last eruption was in 2000.

From large and small craters, Hekla, in addition to lava, throws out a mass of the finest ash, which plunges into darkness a significant part of the island and fills up its vast areas. Ashes are carried far away by the wind.

In 1947 it was discovered in Southern England, Scandinavia and Finland. The consequences of this eruption caused many disasters to the population, turning the flowering areas closest to the volcano into a desert. Not only crops and pastures were badly damaged, but also sheep, deprived of pasture.

Features of lava volcanoes in Iceland

It is interesting to note that the outpouring lava happening in Iceland not only through volcanoes, but also directly from huge fissures. They stretch for tens of kilometers, breaking up the hills they meet on the way. At 150-200 meters, the crack faults go into the depth. There are especially many of them in the northeastern part of the island. During the eruption, low cones (up to 50 meters) appear above the cracks.

A powerful eruption of lava from the Skaptar crack, 24 kilometers long, occurred in 1783. More than 90 volcanic craters and cones formed on it (34 of them up to 50 meters high). The erupted lava covered 900 square kilometers. The average power of the stream reached 30 meters. The total amount of ejected volcanic products was determined to be approximately 27 cubic kilometers.

The consequence of this eruption was the death of livestock feed. In the end, 9,000 people, i.e., almost one-fifth of the island's population, died from earthquakes, famine and epidemics. In addition, as a result of the ash eruption, crops in Scotland were completely destroyed (approximately 1000 kilometers from the eruption area). In Scotland, famine also set in and many people died.

Particularly destructive catastrophes occur during the eruption Icelandic volcanoes, located among the glaciers, (more:) since the outpouring of lava causes massive melting of ice with the formation of mud flows that cause terrible devastation.

Geysers of Iceland

In addition to volcanoes, Iceland is famous for its wonderful geysers. These are peculiar steam-water volcanoes. They periodically throw out fountains hot water and steam (in German "heiss" - hot).

Hot deep waters contain a significant amount of dissolved silica. When water is cooled, silica precipitates in the form of a white precipitate - geyserite. Over time, a low flat cone with a cup-shaped recess grows out of it.

At the bottom of this bowl-shaped pool is the mouth of the channel, which goes to a depth of 20-30 meters. Hot water, coming from the channel, gradually fills the pool. After a while, it boils, and instantly a huge column of water and steam flies up to 20-40 meters in height. Part of the water is returned to the pool. The geyser calms down and then again, after 10-20 minutes, or even after 20 hours, the same picture repeats.

The periodicity of the geyser is explained by the fact that superheated water is collected at the very bottom of the channel, at about 126-127 °. However, even at this temperature, it does not boil, because the overlying layers press on the water, the temperature of which gradually decreases to 70-80 °.

Gradually, due to the influx of heat from below, the temperature in the water column rises, steam bubbles begin to emerge, then the water boils from the surface, the pressure immediately decreases, and the superheated water, turning into a vapor state, instantly erupts. The water thrown out by the fountain cools, partially returns to the pool and goes into the channel. The influx of superheated deep waters gives rise to a new explosion.

Geysers of other countries

In addition to Iceland, there are geysers in New Zealand, in the USA (in Yellowstone national park), as well as in other countries where volcanic activity is manifested or where it has manifested itself before, because How long does lava keep warm?

Geysers are known with unrelenting activity for many centuries, but at the same time, reverse phenomena are also observed, when the geyser gradually fades, turning into hot spring, or even disappear altogether.

Even before 1904, the famous, now silent Waimangu geyser operated on the northern island of New Zealand, throwing out the most powerful fountain in the world 450 meters high.

Kamchatka is also rich in geysers, especially in the area of ​​the fading Kikhpinych volcano (to the south of Lake Kronotsky). The bulk of the geysers (at least 22 large and about 100 small ones) are located in the valley of the Geysernaya river.

The most powerful geyser - Giant - every 2 hours 50 minutes throws out a fountain of water and steam almost 40 meters. The Velkan pool is 3 by 1.5 meters with a depth of at least 3 meters. The water temperature of Kamchatka geysers is 94-99°.

Kamchatka is also rich in hot (from 50-100°) and warm (from 20 to 50°) mineral springs of various chemical composition.

Mud volcanoes are found in the area of ​​active and especially attenuated volcanoes. These are low hills with a depression at the top. Kamchatka mud volcanoes are quite tiny in size - 30 centimeters in height with a crater diameter of 15-10 centimeters.

From time to time they pour out streams of mud and emit gases. mud volcanoes are hot and cold. The former are associated with volcanic regions, while the latter are more associated with oil fields (for example, the Baku fields, the island of Java, Mexico, etc.).

Geysers, hot springs and mineral springs- the last echoes of formidable volcanic activity.

Geysers are springs in which eruptions of boiling water occur at regular intervals. With an explosion and a roar, a huge column of boiling water, shrouded in thick clouds of steam, flies up in a large fountain, sometimes reaching 80 m.

The fountain beats for a while, then the water disappears, the clouds of steam dissipate, and a state of rest sets in.

Some geysers throw water very low or just spray it. There are hot springs, similar to puddles, in which the water boils with bubbles. Usually around the geyser there is a pool, or a shallow crater, the diameter of which reaches several meters. The edges of such a pool and the area adjacent to it are covered with deposits of silica contained in boiling water. These deposits are called geyserite. Near some geysers, cones of geyserite are formed from a few centimeters to several meters high.

Immediately after the eruption of the geyser, the pool is freed from water, and at the bottom of it you can see a channel (vent) filled with water, going deep underground.

Before the beginning of the eruption, the water rises, slowly fills the pool, boils, splashes, then with an explosion, a fountain of boiling water flies high.

Geysers are a very rare and beautiful natural phenomenon. It can be observed here (in Kamchatka), in Iceland, in New Zealand and North America. Small solitary geysers are found in some other volcanic areas.

In the eastern part of Kamchatka, south of Lake Kronotskoye, there are many geysers in the valley of the river. Geyser. The river starts on the lifeless slopes extinct volcano Kikhpinych and downstream forms a valley up to 3 km wide. On the ledges of the slopes of this valley there are many hot springs, hot and warm lakes, mud pots and geysers.

About 20 large geysers are known here, not counting the small ones that splash out water only a few centimeters. Near some of them, the soil is warm, and sometimes even hot.

Many geysers are surrounded by streaks of multi-colored geyserite of bizarre shapes, similar to beautiful artificial lattices. Sometimes geyserite covers areas of several tens of square meters. So, for example, near the largest Kamchatka geyser - the "Giant", throwing out a huge fountain to a height of several tens of meters, a geyserite site of about a hectare was formed. It is all covered with streaks in the form of small stone rosettes of a grayish-yellow color.

Geyser eruption. Photo: Geoffrey Plauche

Geyser in section. The dashes show water, the circles show gases.

Nearby is the geyser "Pearl", named after the shape and color of the geyserite deposits: with a mother-of-pearl tint, similar to pearls. There is a geyser "Sakharny" with abundant and beautiful deposits of pale pink geyserite. This is a pulsating source, the water from it is not thrown out by a fountain, but splashes out in uniform shocks.

Geyser "Pervenets" is located on a rocky hot area almost on the very bank of the river. Noisy, near the mouth of the river. Geyser. The “Firstborn” pool, about one and a half meters in diameter and the same depth, is surrounded by large blocks of stones. If you look into the pool immediately after the eruption, you can see that there is absolutely no water in it, and at the bottom there is a hole, or a channel that goes obliquely into the depths. After some time, a rumble is heard from under the ground, similar to the noise of a motor: water begins to rise through the channel, gradually filling the pool. It boils, reaches the edges of the pool, rises higher and higher, splashes out and, finally, with an explosion, an obliquely directed column of boiling water bursts out, shrouded in thick clouds of steam. The fountain rises to a height of at least 15-20 m. It beats for two or three minutes, then silence sets in, the steam dissipates, and you can again look into the empty pool without risk. After a short period of time, a rumble is heard again and the geyser begins to act again.

Iceland has long been famous for its hot springs, boiling rivers and geysers. In the valleys of almost all its rivers, rising clouds of steam from boiling springs and geysers are visible. They are especially numerous in the southwestern part of the island. It is interesting to see the famous Big Geyser". Its pool is about 18 m in diameter. The smooth bottom of the pool in the center turns into a rounded crater about 3 m in diameter, similar in shape to the bell of a pioneer forge. The geyser channel goes to great depth, connecting underground with cracks with caves periodically filled with hot water and steam. The water temperature in the geyser on the surface is up to 80°, and in the channel at a certain depth up to 120°.

The eruption of the "Great Geyser" is very beautiful. It is repeated every 20-30 hours and lasts 2.5-3 hours. "Big Geyser" gushing to a height of up to 30 m.

The harsh nature of Iceland makes the inhabitants use some of the hot springs to irrigate their fields. Vegetables and cereals are grown on heated soils. Hot water sources are also used for heating houses in cities and towns. For example, the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, is completely heated by hot springs.

Until 1904, the Waimangu geyser operated on the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest geyser in the world. During strong eruption its jet was thrown into the air for 450 m. But now this geyser has completely disappeared. This is explained by a decrease of 11 m in the water level in the nearest lake. Taravera.

On the shore of the lake Waikato ( New Zealand) there is a geyser "Crows Nest" ("Crow's Nest"), the eruption of which depends on the water level in the lake. If the water is high, then the geyser erupts every 40 minutes, if the water level is low, the eruption occurs after 2 hours.

Numerous and varied hot springs and geysers are located in North America on the border of the states of Wyoming and Montana. This beautiful place surrounded by high snowy ridges rocky mountains, is called Yellowstone National Park. It is a high plateau, cut by deep river valleys and lake depressions.

Several million years ago, very strong volcanic eruptions took place here, which left this amazing corner of nature behind. From 200 geysers yellowstone park the most famous is the "Old Servant". For many hundreds of years, it does not stop its activity, as well as some other geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone Park.

Imagine what a huge amount of heat these geysers and hot springs bring to the surface of the Earth! It is estimated that the heat from all sources in Yellowstone Park can melt about 3 tons of ice per second.

Where does this heat come from?

Geysers occur in areas where uncooled magma lies near the earth's surface. The gases and vapors released from it, rising, go a long way along the cracks. At the same time, they mix with groundwater, heat it up and themselves turn into hot water with various substances dissolved in it. Such water comes to the surface of the earth in the form of seething combustible springs, various mineral springs, geysers, etc.

Scientists suggest that underground the geyser consists of caves (chambers) and passages connecting them, cracks and channels found in frozen lava flows. These caves are filled with circulating underground waters, at a shallow depth from which there are uncooled magma chambers.

The eruption of geysers occurs in different ways, depending on the size of underground chambers, on the shape of the channels and the location of cracks through which heat flows from the depths of the bowels, on the amount and speed of groundwater inflow. It is known from physics that the boiling point of water at a pressure of 1 atmosphere at sea level is 100 °. If the pressure increases, the boiling point rises,

and as the pressure decreases, it decreases. The pressure of the water column in the geyser channel raises the boiling point of the water at the bottom of the channel. Water when heated from below comes into motion; the heated lower layer of water becomes less dense and rises to the surface, and more cold water from the surface it descends, where, warming up, it rises in turn, and so on. Thus, vapors and gases, continuously seeping through cracks from the depths, warm the water, bringing it to a boil.

If the geyser channel is wide and has a more or less regular shape, the water, moving (circulating), mixes, boils and splashes to the surface in the form of a hot spring. If the channel is winding and narrow, the water cannot mix and heats up unevenly. Due to the pressure from above the water column below, the water is superheated and does not turn into steam. Steam is released in separate bubbles. Accumulating below, the compressed steam tends to expand, presses on the upper layer of water in the channel and raises it so much that it splashes onto the Earth's surface in small fountains - precursors of an eruption. Splashing water reduces the weight of the water column in the channel; consequently, the pressure at depth decreases and superheated water, being above the boiling point, instantly turns into steam. The steam pressure from below is so great that it pushes water out of the canal in the form of huge fountains of boiling water and puffs of steam.

For a long time it was believed that spirits live in the Valley of Geysers, and people shunned this place. Now crowds of tourists flock here. But common ideas about hot springs still do not always correspond to reality. "Around the World" debunks myths about geysers

1 GEYSER - A POTENTIAL VOLCANO
Volcanic and geyser eruptions are similar, so there is an opinion that any geyser can become a volcano. Actually it is not. For the existence of geysers, proximity to areas of volcanism and the presence of a magma chamber at a depth are really necessary. But unlike a volcano, in the work of geysers, magma performs only the function of heating water. A geyser eruption is impossible without the presence of vertical or inclined cracks in the ground, reservoirs filled with groundwater, and a constant influx of this water.

2 WATER SPOUT BY GEYSERS IS UNDERGROUND
This is not entirely true. In fact underground water- this is, in fact, water from melt and rain water. It enters the hydrothermal system, moves through underground aquifers. In the process of movement, the water is heated by magma and comes to the surface in the form of a geyser or hot spring. This path can take several hundred years, which is why it is customary to call this “seasoned” underground water.

3 GEYSERS CONSTANTLY SPOUT STEAM AND A POLUM OF WATER
There are four stages in the operation of a geyser: spouting, spouting, steaming, and filling or restoring the water level in the channel. For each geyser, these stages take different time- several minutes or hours, depending on the size of the geyser, its shape and its location in the ground. It is difficult to determine that a jet of water will soon appear above the ground. You need to know the nature of a particular geyser in order to predict that an eruption will soon begin. For example, for the Giant Geyser, there is no way to recognize whether the next surge will develop into an eruption. But 10-15 seconds before the eruption of the Schel geyser, the sound of water is heard.

4 LIFE IN BOILING WATER AND NEAR IT IS IMPOSSIBLE

During the eruption, the water temperature reaches at least +98 °C. It would seem that not a single creature is capable of surviving in such an environment. But it's not. Thermophilic blue-green algae are widespread in the waters of the valley. This type of the most ancient organisms of the Earth (they inhabited the water bodies of the planet about three billion years ago) prefers temperatures above 45 ° C for development. In addition, Chinese twister grows on the slopes of the valley - a rare orchid. And near the geysers live larvae of lion flies (Odontomiya argentata) and shore flies (Scatella stagnalis). They crawl along the inner rocky vaults of geysers, often falling into their small jets, remaining active after that. The high temperature regime enhances the metabolism of insects, and therefore the cycle of their development is completed even with a lack of food and other adverse factors. Birds also use the heat of the earth to breed offspring. So, the wagtail builds nests and lays eggs on warm soils. Thanks to this natural incubator, chicks appear in the Valley of Geysers earlier than in the rest of Kamchatka.

5 GEYSER WATER IS PURE AND HEALTHY
It is believed that everything natural, untouched by man, is useful. The time is right. But not in this case. The water in the geysers of the valley is not only not useful to people, but even dangerous for them. It contains such toxic elements as mercury, arsenic and antimony. Moreover, the norm of the maximum permissible concentration of arsenic for drinking water in the Geysernaya River is exceeded by more than 10 times, and antimony - by more than 3 times.

In September 2013, the project "Valley of Geysers: Preserve and Show" received a grant from the Russian geographical society.
“In 2007, a landslide blocked the course of the Geysernaya River in the Kronotsky Reserve,” says the head of the scientific department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Kronotsky state reserve» Daria Panicheva. - Seven geysers were under the rubble, nine more were flooded by the lake formed in the canyon. In September 2013 there were torrential downpours. The flood washed away the dam, and in a day the water level dropped by almost three meters (for six years, the water left at a rate of about a meter per year). Most of the geysers were back on the surface. In addition, while the valley was flooded, new springs formed.

It is believed that there are about 100 geysers in the Valley of Geysers, but so far 40 of them have names. In 2011 Andrey Leonov created a catalog of the main objects of the valley.
“Due to the lack of a name-regulating body, confusion arose: one geyser could have two names,” says Andrey Leonov. The names of geysers are always associated with the external manifestations of the source.
Hell Gate- two deep holes. Gloomy vaults go deep into the earth, the bottom is usually hidden by clouds of steam. From the depths comes a muffled gurgling and low-frequency noises resembling heavy sighs. The frightening appearance of these failures and their resemblance to people's ideas about entering underworld and gave the name to the geyser.
monkey located on a slope that resembles the muzzle of an animal.
Bath similar to a hot tub measuring five meters long, two wide and half a meter deep. It is filled with water, from the surface of which every two minutes there is a splash to a height of 1-2 meters.
Giant- the largest geyser in the valley. The fountain of boiling water reaches 35 meters.
gosh named after the expedition of the American Association for the Observation and Study of Geysers GOSA ( Geyser Observation and Study Association) in 1991.

Photos: Vadim Gippenreiter

Geysers are springs that periodically erupt hot water and steam in the form of a fountain.

For the birth and existence of these "water volcanoes" a complex of three underground factors is needed:

- a special system of cavities and channels.

The water erupted by the geyser seeps underground after rains, snow melt, from the bed of rivers and lakes. It can reach a maximum depth of about 2 km. For the appearance of a geyser, it is necessary that there is a source of heat here. This happens only in active volcanic areas, where molten rocks, gases.

The water heated in the underground “stove” can return to the surface through cracks and pores in the form of ordinary hot springs. But sometimes it accumulates in a cavity, from which one or more narrow channels lead up. Through them, the water is pushed out. Geyser "Old Faithful" (USA) ejects up to 32,000 liters of boiling water in a five-minute eruption. It is not surprising that in Iceland, houses and greenhouses are heated with geyser water.

Many geysers, as colorful and rare natural phenomena, are objects of tourist attention. The pools around the opening of the geysers are inhabited by bacteria that love heat and thrive in very hot water. Geysers gave them a chance to settle far to the North.

What makes geysers erupt?

The opinions of geologists differ here. One theory paints such a scenario.

Underground water accumulates in the fault of dense and durable rocks. They do not allow moisture to seep through them. The way out is possible only through cracks-channels, which narrow upward and open somewhere on the surface.


The water in the channel cools down and, according to the laws of physics, tends to sink. But heating from below creates water pressure and does not allow it to do so. As a result, the water in the middle of the channel is compressed from above and below.

Even when heated to 100 ° C, it does not boil due to increased pressure. Superheated water rises up the channel, then the pressure weakens, and it begins to boil. The steam increases sharply in volume and flies out together with boiling water through the outlet. Then part of the boiling water is thrown out of the tank.

Outside, the vapor instantly cools and turns into a cloud. The foam settles, some of the water flows back into the channel - until the next eruption.

Where can you find geysers?

There are not many places on Earth where all three conditions necessary for the birth of geysers converge at once. Five geyser fields are known: in Iceland, in the “Valley of Geysers” canyon in Kamchatka, in the Yellowstone National Park (USA), in the El Tátio mountain region in northern Chile, near the Taupo volcano on the North Island of New Zealand.

What is the most famous geyser in the world?

Perhaps the one that is located in Iceland and has been active for 10 thousand years. In ancient times, he was called Geysir, from the Icelandic "geysa" - to gush. This periodic fountain was the first to be described in a printed book. Already in the 18th century, he was known throughout Europe, and later such phenomena began to be called geysers in his honor.

Initially, the site with this natural wonder belonged to a local farmer, who sold it to a businessman who surrounded the geyser with a high fence and allowed spectators only for a fee. The owners changed, the last in 1935 donated the site to the "Icelandic people for all eternity."

Geysir once erupted every half hour. He survived several earthquakes, which clearly cheered him up. After the earthquake in 2000, the fountain doubled in size and for a couple of days beat in height at the level of a 40-story skyscraper! Now the fountain has become much lower and appears only three times a day.


Experts have learned how to clear the geyser channel when it becomes clogged. Especially a lot of people gather here on June 17 - Independence Day. The day before, geologists are working here on the instructions of the government. Their duty is to provide festive "fireworks" for the old-timer geyser, and he never fails.