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“Nor stops the restless fluid, mounting still,
Though oft amid th’ irriguous vale of springs;
But to the mountain courted by the sand,
That leads it darkling on in faithful maze,
Far from the parent main, it boils again!
Fresh into day; and all the glittering hill
Is bright with spouting rills.
The crystal treasures of the liquid world,
Through the stirred sands a bubbling passage burst;
And welling out, around the middle steep,
Or from the bottoms of the bosomed hills,
In pure effusion flow.”—THOMSON.
These celebrated fountains, or hot spouting water springs, being nearly
connected with the operations of subterraneous fire, so visible in every
part of Iceland, may be properly introduced after the description of
Mount Hecla, given above.
They are seldom very near the volcanoes, but are dispersed over the
whole country, and are even to be found on the summits of several of the
ice mountains. The largest and most remarkable of these is situated in a
large field, about sixteen miles to the north of Skalholt. At a great
distance from it, on one side, are high mountains covered with ice, and
on the other Hecla is seen rising above the clouds, while opposite to it
is a ridge of rocks, at the foot of which water from time to time rushes
forth. At the distance of a mile and a half, a loud roaring noise is
heard, like that of a torrent precipitated from stupendous rocks, each
ejection being accompanied by violent subterraneous detonations. The
depth of the opening from which the water rushes, has not been
ascertained; but some seconds elapse before a stone thrown in reaches
the surface. The Danish traveler, Olafsen, asserts, that the water rises
as high as sixty fathoms: while Van Troil estimates the highest jet at
not more than sixty feet: the latter allows, however, that the jets may
be more elevated, particularly in bad weather. The greatness of the
explosive power is evinced by its not only preventing stones thrown in
from sinking, but even forcing them up to a very great hight, together
with the water, and splitting the pebbles into a thousand pieces. The
heat was found by Van Troil to be two hundred and twelve degrees of
Fahrenheit, the boiling point. The edges of the pipe or basin are
covered by a coarse stalactitic rind, and the water has been found to
have a petrifying quality. The opening is perfectly circular, in
diameter nineteen feet, and forms above, on the surface of the ground, a
basin fifty-nine feet in diameter, the edge of which is nine feet above
the orifice or hole.
In speaking of the Geysers, or hot spouting springs, Horrebow observes,
that if you fill a bottle at one of them, the water it contains will
boil three or four times, at the same time with the water in the well.
The inhabitants boil their meat in it, by putting the meat in a vessel
of cold water, which they place in the hot spring.
Sir G. S. Mackenzie, whose travels in Iceland we have already cited,
visited the Geysers at a season favorable to his observations, the
latter end of July. He found the cultivation of the surrounding
territory much higher than might have been inferred from the idea
generally entertained of the barren and unproductive state of Iceland.
All the flat ground in that quarter of the island was swampy, but not so
much so as to impede the progress of the party, who, having passed
several hot springs to the eastward of Skalholt, and others rising among
the low hills they had left to the right, in proceeding to the great
Geyser, came to a farm-house, situated on a rising ground in the midst
of the bogs. Here the people were busily employed in making hay, a scene
which afforded a pleasing change from the dreary solitude they had
quitted. The whole of this extensive district, which abounds in grass,
would, if drained, our traveler observes, prove a very rich pasture
country. Farther on they came to several cottages at the foot of the
mountain, round which they turned, and came in sight of the hill having
the Geysers at one of its sides. This hill, in hight not more than three
hundred feet, is separated from the mountain, toward the west, by a
narrow slip of flat boggy ground, connected with that which extends over
the whole valley. Having crossed this bog, and a small river which ran
through it, the party came to a farm-house at the east end of the hill,
and arrived at a spot where the most wonderful and awful effects of
subterraneous heat are exhibited.
On the east side of the hill there are several banks of clay, from some
of which steam rises in different places; and in others there are
cavities, in which water boils briskly. In a few of these cavities, the
water being mixed with clay, is thick and varies in color; but is
chiefly red and gray. Below these banks there is a gentle and uniform
slope, composed of matter which, at some distant period, has been
deposited by springs which no longer exist. The strata or beds thus
formed, seemed to have been broken by shocks of earthquakes,
particularly near the great Geyser. Within a space not exceeding a
quarter of a mile, numerous orifices are seen in the old incrustations,
from which boiling water and steam issue, with different degrees of
force. At the northern extremity is situated the great Geyser,
sufficiently distinguishable from the others by every circumstance
connected with it. On approaching this spot, it appeared that a mount
had been formed of irregular, rough-looking depositions, upon the
ancient regular strata, the origin of which had been similar. The slope
of the latter has caused the mount to spread more on the east side; and
the recent depositions of the water may be traced till they coincide
with them. The perpendicular hight of the mount is about seven feet,
measured from the highest part of the surface of the old depositions.
From these the matter composing the mount may be readily distinguished,
on the west side, where a disruption has taken place. On the top of this
mount is a basin, which was found to extend fifty-six feet in one
direction, and forty-six in another.
At a quarter before three o’clock in the afternoon, when the party
reached the spot, they found the basin full of hot water, a little of
which was running over. Having satisfied their curiosity at that time,
they proceeded to examine some other places, whence they saw water
ascending. Above the great Geyser, at a short distance, they came to a
large irregular opening, the beauties of which, the writer observes, it
is hardly possible to describe. The water with which it was filled was
as clear as crystal, and perfectly still, although nearly at the boiling
point. Through it they saw white incrustations, forming a variety of
figures and cavities, to a great depth, and carrying the eye into a vast
and dark abyss, over which the crust supporting them formed a dome of an
inconsiderable thickness; a circumstance which though not of itself
agreeable, contributed much to the effects of this awful scene.
Having pitched their tent at the distance of about one hundred yards
from the Geyser, and so arranged matters that a regular watch might be
kept during the night, Sir G. S. Mackenzie took his station at eleven
o’clock, and his companions lay down to sleep. About ten minutes before
twelve he heard subterraneous discharges, and waked his friends. The
water in the basin was greatly agitated, and flowed over, but there was
not any jet. The same occurred at half past two. At five minutes past
four on Saturday morning, an alarm was given by one of the company. As
our traveler lay next the door of the tent, he instantly drew aside the
canvas, when at the distance of little more than fifty yards, a most
extraordinary and magnificent appearance presented itself. From a place
they had not before noticed, they saw water thrown up, and steam issuing
with a tremendous noise. There was little water; but the force with
which the steam escaped, produced a white column of spray and vapor, at
least sixty feet high. They enjoyed this astonishing and beautiful sight
until seven o’clock, when it gradually disappeared.
The remaining part of the morning was occupied in examining the environs
of the Geysers; and at every step they received some new gratification.
Following the channel which had been formed by the water escaping from
the great basin during the eruptions, they found several beautiful and
delicate petrifactions. The leaves of birch and willow were seen
converted into white stone, and in the most perfect state of
preservation, every minute fiber being entire. Grass and rushes were in
the same state, and also masses of peat. Several of these rare and
elegant specimens were brought safely to Great Britain. On the outside
of the mount of the Geyser, the depositions, owing to the splashing of
the water, are rough and have been justly compared to the heads of
cauliflowers. They are of a yellowish brown color, and are arranged
around the mount, somewhat like a circular flight of steps. The inside
of the basin is comparatively smooth: and the matter forming it is more
compact and dense than the exterior crust; when polished it is not
devoid of beauty, being of a gray color, mottled with black and white
spots and streaks. The white incrustation formed by the water of the
beautiful cavity before described, had taken a very curious form at the
water’s edge, very much resembling the capital of a Gothic column.