You might have seen them – those powerful streams of water shooting straight up in the air. We know the natural features are caused when ground water is heated by geothermal forces and brought to the surface. But the sight still brings exclamations of oohs and aahs whenever they spurt towards the heavens.

Did you know, however, where the word “geyser” originated? And do you know where this photograph was taken? The answer to both questions is one and the same.

A hint: It is not Old Faithful, although the American geyser in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is one of the most predictable geographical features on Earth.

Don’t look at the answer below until you’ve formulated your own response.

Congratulations if you are correct.

If not, you sure are not alone. Might be time to explore this incredible island and do it aboard the Ocean Diamond cruise ship. 

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(Answer)   

The English word “geyser” comes from the Icelandic “geysir.”

Haukadalur is a valley in Iceland that contains the island’s largest and most famous geysers, including Geysir and Strokkur. Geysir is the earliest geyser known to Europeans, which is why the famed natural phenomenon was called geyser.

Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 330 feet in the air. Geysir eruptions are infrequent and have sometimes stopped for years at a time. Lately, Geysir has been erupting several times a day.

Nearby, Strokkur erupts every eight minutes or so. Some of the spurts reach up to 100 feet in the air and the drifting sprinkles sometimes catch close-up visitors by surprise. The photo with this trivia question is of Strokkur.

The Geysir Center offers exhibits and information about the area. Looking like a watery version of the surface of the moon, the area is filled with steaming craters, blowholes, geysers and hot springs.

By the way, Old Faithful in the Yellowstone National Park was named in 1870 and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name. Old Faithful got its name because it erupts almost every 94 minutes.

Yellowstone was the world’s first national park, set aside in 1872 to preserve the vast number of geysers, hot springs, thermal areas and other natural treasures. The last full-scale eruption of the Yellowstone volcano happened nearly 640,000 years ago.

Story and photo by Jackie Sheckler Finch